Fall of the Uzumaki Clan
by firemageallanna
Summary: Sensing his homes impending doom Hachi Uzumaki, leader of Uzushiogakure, makes the tough decision to send one shinobi team to Konoha with his clan's complete history and knowledge in the hopes that Kushina will be able to protect the knowledge should their country and clan fall. This team must quickly make it to Konoha before the route is completely cut off and the knowledge lost.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Hello all! This is a prequel to another story I am working on and it shouldn't be very long. I hope you all enjoy and please don't forget to R/R!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto. However, those characters that are obviously not part of the series are mine.**

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Hachi Uzumaki, leader of not only the Uzumaki clan but Uzushiogakure, could not be classified as a slacker. He gave his entire life to further building and protecting his village and was made leader of Uzushiogakure in his late twenties.

Under his leadership, the Land of the Whirlpool became a power player in its own right. True, shinobi of Uzushiogakure weren't as well known by the average citizens as those from the Five Great Countries, but the high ranking officials of those countries did know an Uzushio-nin when they saw one. And that meant that jobs sent to Uzushiogakure were the high paying/high risk kind.

These very dangerous, but few and far between, missions coupled with a lazy lifestyle meant that there wasn't nearly as much work for Hachi as their was for one of the Kages. But that didn't stop the aging man from looking for more work, earning him the nickname 'Hatarakimono' or Busy Bee.

And because of this, Hachi could always be found in his office. He was usually leaning over his desk in concentration as he tried to complete the day's paperwork while stroking his goatee, as if the action was helping him to read his reports faster.

His emerald green eyes were hard with experience and only softened when with his brothers or their children. His red hair was only beginning to show a few silver strands and was usually kept in a businessman-like cut. And usually he was dressed in a long-sleeved, black outfit, with the crest of his village on his shoulders, and be basking in the warm sun's glow. But today was not like normal days.

Today there was more then just a few reports on the lives of the villagers and an assassination mission or two on his desk.

Today, he could not afford to wear such comfortable clothes and traded them out for worn armor.

Today there was no peace, just war, and today he could be found standing over his desk. Staring down at the desk which is riddled with maps of the Five Great Nations instead of daily reports.

The Third Shinobi World War had stolen the calming peace that had once been over the Land of the Whirlpool. And in it's place was the suffocating grip of war.

At first, they had been able to avoid joining into the war, but then one country after another fell into chaos and Hachi was receiving reports of Kumo and Kiri vessels surrounding their home. He had no choice but to raise his defenses and call his people to arms.

But now, now that almost a year had gone by since they had entered the fray, Hachi could see that his people were dying out. He couldn't keep the citizens or children out of the war anymore and knew that if Uzushiogakure didn't get help soon, they would be at the mercy of his enemies.

And that grim fact had aged the man more then anything else in his short life of thirty years.

Deep lines of worry and frustration had carved themselves in his forehead and around his mouth. His eyes, though still hard from the war, were beginning to look tired and his hair had lost a lot of it's vibrancy as it traded out the red strands for a duller grey.

That did not mean however, that Hachi Uzumaki looked week. Quiet the opposite in fact. It just made him look stoic and determined to see this war through. And it was this look he wore everywhere, hoping that it comforted his people. In the privacy of his office however, he let his true worry show. Especially as he stared down at the maps that littered his desk with the latest movements of the enemy surrounding him and his people.

On the top most map, which he has been leaning over for almost an hour already, he can see the latest intel of the war that his shinobi have provided him. With his forces marked in blue and the Kiri forces marked in red, it became apparent to the man that if his people survive it will be largely due to luck.

But Hachi Uzumaki was not one to think highly of luck in times like these. Times where the world is tearing itself apart in war and when clans' secrets are hunted for like wounded prey in a ravenous carnivores den.

Which had led Hachi to his current predicament.

With the outlook of the war playing unfavorably for him and his people, how was he to insure his people's safety? How was he going to protect his clans history or it's knowledge?

There was no definite answer for the head of the Uzumaki clan and he cursed at the maps, as if doing so would change the maps characteristics. His mind worked furiously to think of a solution but every possible answer he thought of was immediately rejected as he didn't have the time or the resources. Caught in the cycle of brainstorming and rejecting any idea that surfaced, Hachi didn't seem to notice when another Uzumaki entered his office.

"Sir." The other Uzumaki called to get his clan's leader's attention.

Jolted from his thoughts by the sudden arrival, Hachi turned to face the man.

This Uzumaki was like Hachi, as all Uzumaki's looked similar, but was different despite Hachi being younger then him. First, while Hachi's hair was bright red with silver running through it, this one's was mostly grey with only a rusty brown strand here or there. And while Hachi's eyes were an emerald color, this Uzumaki had tired blue eyes. He was one of the clan elders and he had one of the people to elect Hachi leader of the clan when his predecessor passed. And yet, Hachi could not recall the man's name.

"The reply from Konohagakure has arrived by hawk." the older man said as he held a scroll up for Hachi to take.

Quickly snatching the scroll away, the clan leader tore the scroll open and read it's contents with a rekindled hope. His hope however quickly died as he read through the scroll before placing the message onto of the maps he had been staring at perviously. Leaning over his desk again, he let a disheartened sigh escape him.

Hearing such a sigh, the older Uzumaki could guess what the scroll had said.

"They aren't coming are they?" He asked softly as Aoi slowly shook his head.

"Kiri and Kumo have taken the land and sea between us. Anyone coming to our aid is impossible." Hachi said softly before standing slowly. "Can you bring me the council members? we must begin discussing how to appeal to Kumo and Kiri."

"We're going to surrender?" The elder Uzumaki asked, his eyes narrowing at his leaders back.

"We have no choice. The only other alternative is to be eradicated." Hachi defended as he looked back at the older Uzumaki.

"So we are just to roll over and obey Kumo and Kiri. Forgive me Lord Hachi but that is the worst decision you can make!" The elder man shouted, his blood beginning to boil at the thought of just laying arms down. "Our ninja are not so weak that we need to stand down."

Frustrated that his orders were being challenged, Hachi glared at the older Uzumaki.

"What would you have me do then, huh? Keep fighting? Let more and more children die in the vain hope that we can survive one more day? And what about after the war? If we are destroyed then our history and the archives will belong to the victor! YOU know just as well as I that we cannot allow that!" He shouted back at the older man.

Everyone in Uzushiogakure knew that the archives contained information that could not be let outside the Uzumaki family, with the exceptions of those few individuals the family thought could properly handle such information. In fact, the scrolls of the archives could only be opened with a small blood offering made by an Uzumaki so most residents would rather see the library-like building destroyed rather then have it fall into enemy hands but to do such would cause such a lapse in knowledge that the Uzumaki Clan's allies would be behind by generations. If they survived the war as well that is.

Which meant that the Uzumaki Clan had to survive, in one way or another. At first, Hachi had thought he could fight the war out and his people survive that way, but Kiri and Kumo were too strong now. The only way his people could survive is if they stopped fighting and waited the rest of the war out, even if that meant making themselves prisoners.

And with that knowledge, a heavy silence fell between the two men that was almost palpable as the older man realized Hachi's point. And this made the silence drag on, as Hachi silently began to envision not just their village destroyed but his family as well. No he could not allow that. Shaking his head, Hachi went to restate his order when the older man cut him off.

"You know as well as I that even if we surrender, they will demand the archives. And if we don't comply they will kill everyone and take them regardless." The elder Uzumaki said softly.

"But if we fight, we will all die and they will take the archives anyways." Hachi pointed out, getting a nod from the older man before Hachi saw a spark in the mans eyes.

"There is a way out." The man said, his voice steady and determined.

"What do you mean?" Hachi asked quietly as he tried to figure out how the man had come to such a conclusion from their impending doom.

The older man smirked a little at his leader before quickly answering.

"Lady Kushina lives in Konohagakure. If we can get the archives to her, then regardless of what happens to the clan that knowledge can be kept in the family. And if we fall, we might get lucky and she'll rebuild our clan in Konoha." The man said serious as Hachi began to seriously consider the mans suggestion.

Letting the man's point tumble in his head, Hachi began thinking at a million miles as he suddenly had an answer to his earlier problems.

"You're right. We may not survive but she, and her future children will." He said softly as he took to pacing around the office while continueing to think.

He could save his clan's history and knowledge if he could get it to Kushina. But there were so many scrolls, too many for hawk messengers. Even if they sealed the scrolls inside one larger scroll no hawk could carry such an item. It would have to be carried by person, or by a group as weight was not displaced after sealing. Meaning that whatever they stored all the scrolls in would be as heavy as the scrolls inside.

But there was the larger problem of Kiri and Kumo holding the land and sea between them. He couldn't just send anyone and whoever he did send might also end up as the last Uzumaki's. So who did he chose?

Hundreds of names came to his mind, but he knew he could not send them all. Otherwise, Uzushiogakure would fall to quickly and the enemy could catch wind of his plan. Which meant that he was leading his village to their death on the hope that maybe three or four select shinobi could sneak past the enemy and bring all the vital information of their village to the one outside clan member.

It was not a pleasant idea, in fact it was boarder line crazy, but what else could he do? Hope to ride out the war. That was more crazy in Hachi's opinion so he had no choice but to go through with this sudden mission.

But who to entrust with such a mission?

That question began taking up all of Hachi's attention as he began pacing back and forth, the man watching closely.

"Sir?" He called, worried about his leader.

Aoi looked up at him and realized he needed his help.

"Listen here. I need you to go down to the archive and seal all history scrolls into a traveling scroll. Do the same for all technique scrolls, starting at S-class and move down to C-class. We shared the D-class with other shinobi so we can leave those, but everything else has to be sealed off. When you're done bring me the scrolls and tell no one what happened." Hachi demanded as he quickly pulled out records on his remaining shinobi.

The man quickly left to do as he was told as Hachi went over the files. The opened the first file and read over it.

He couldn't send anyone, as he needed a strong team but not one so strong that they kept drawing attention to themselves. Thus he needed an infiltration team, someone who was trained in the specific task of getting behind an enemy line and that meant he only had a few choices.

Pulling out those folders, Hachi spent the next few hours checking one shinobi against another to create the strongest infiltration team her could.

It was almost two hours later when the elder Uzumaki returned with two very large scrolls and placed them up against Hachi's desk. Looking up at him, Hachi nodded before instructing the man to send word to Team Owl that he wanted them in his office. The tired ninja nodded and went to find the team as Hachi left his seat and approached the scrolls.

He noted that they didn't have any sort of seal on them so he quickly drew the Uzumaki Safety Seal. Once drawn, he sat back down at his desk and sighed in relief. Only an Uzumaki could open those scrolls now and Hachi had added an incinerate seal as well. Thus if someone other then an Uzuamki tried to open the seal, it would combust. Which gave Hachi enough peace of mind to let these two scrolls go, but now he had to figure out what to say to the team he had selected.

Sighing softly, Hachi sat down to contemplate this while waiting for the team. Within ten minutes, the team was standing before him and Hachi looked them over while recalled their files.

The team leader was his own nephew, Katsuro Uzumaki. He had the same bright red hair that Hachi had and eyes that seemed to shift from sky blue, to ocean blue-green, and electric green. His build was more lengthy then Hachi's however, as Katsuro had long dangly limbs and a long face, just like his father. But this lengthy frame did not equate to a weaker body, the opposite actually.

He was one of the most talented shinobi Uzushiogakure had seen in a while, becoming a genin at 9 and promoted to chunin at 11. Now 14, he definitely deserved the rank of Jounin but had yet to claim the title since the war kept getting worst. He was highly skilled in Kenjutsu and Fuinjutsu and training in his chakra nature when he had time. His brilliant use of Shadow Clones and Henge made him an excellent scout and his extensive use of seals made him a hard opponent to deal with.

And his two teammates were just as difficult to handle. Aki Uzumaki and Ryu Hanta were both only little older then Katsuro but like their leader, they were making names for themselves as well.

Aki was a good looking girl. She had brown-red hair and soft blue-green eyes on a round face. She was of normal stature but was rapidly growing into a womanly figure. Although, in her file someone had written in to not let those curves fool you, she easily lifted three times her own body weight if needed but most the time she didn't need to. Made a genin at 12 and now a respectable chunin at 15, she was trained in surveillance and tracking. Making her one of the most difficult people to manage as she often used this training to disappear completely.

Ryu, a 15 year old medic-nin, was perhaps the most normal looking of the team and that was likely due to the fact that he was a civilian shinobi. He had dark brown hair kept in a buzz cut with a little stubble growing on his narrow jaw. Intelligent golden eyes danced with curiosity but his highly disciplined choice of career forced the boy into silence.

Born to a family of doctors, apparently it was only after Ryu had a run in with Aki in their childhood that the boy had made the choice to be a medical ninja. His file didn't go further into detail as to what had happened, but Hachi was grateful it did. With nothing but the texts of his parents a a scroll or two hidden away in the archives, Ryu made himself into an irreplaceable shinobi as he became Uzushiogakure's first and only Medic-nin.

And thus, they were the perfect team for this mission. Katsuro could scout for Kiri or Kumo nin, Aki could use every trick she knew to keep them hidden, and Ryu was there to support the two if they did meet trouble and hopefully pass on his knowledge once he got to Konohagakure. If they got to Konoha.

Thinking of that, Hachi brought himself back to his reality as he regarded the team before him. They were obvious tired, as they had just come back from a long patrol. They were dressed in pretty standard shinobi garb, with Katsuro and Aki wearing bandanas over their red hair to help blend in.

The three stood before him, their eyes silently questioning why he had summoned them. Sighing lightly, Hachi interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on the figures.

"I have a mission for you three." He said sternly, watching the curiousity flare in all three of them.

"Before I can tell you about the mission however, you must accept it." Hachi further explained.

Aki and Ryu quickly exchanged worried looks, knowing that whatever mission their leader wanted to charge them with was obviously very important and very hush hush if he wouldn't discuss it until he knew they were going to accept. They then looked at Katsuro and nodded slowly, getting a nod in response.

"We are your tools Hachi-sama. Command us and we will obey." Katsuro answered simply, letting his uncle know that they were willing to do the mission. Hachi nods solemnly at that.

"I have received information that could make or break this war." Hachi said seriously, trying to drive in how important this was. "This information must be brought to Konohagakure as quickly as possible and cannot be intercepted by enemy forces. You will carry it there by means of the two large scrolls before you. Should it look like the enemy are going to take the scrolls you are to destroy them."

Hachi paused as he saw the shock flash across the youngsters faces. Looking over the scrolls, the teens faces paled as they wondered what kind of information would take up such large scrolls.

"What information do they contain?" Katsuro asks as he looks the scrolls up and down.

"I can not tell you directly. But this information is so critical that to insure it passes on to Konoha we have made several precautions. First, the seal on the outside of the scrolls can only be opened by an Uzumaki. Should anyone else try to open it, the whole scroll will incinerate itself." Hachi explained. "Also there are hundreds of fake scrolls within, all trapped, to insure the information is passed only to our allies."

"How will Konoha know which scroll is the one they need then?" Ryu asked, wondering why there was a need for so many fakes.

"There are instructions inside for finding the right scroll." Hachi said, waving the question off. "But they all must be delivered to Konoha first and that is the mission I am assigning you."

"You will carry these scrolls to Konohagakure and hand them to Kushina Uzumaki. You are not to open the scrolls during your travels to Konoha and once your mission is complete you are to assist Konoha until you can return here safely." Hachi ordered, noting the tension the suddenly ran along the three.

"That could be months or years." Ryu said softly, struggling with the idea of being separated from his family for so long. Never knowing if they were okay and worrying for their safety. Seeing his worry, Aki put her hand on his shoulder and exchanged a knowing look.

"True, but you three are the best people to send. I need you to do this. Konoha needs you to do this. I humbly ask you to see this through." Hachi said before getting a nod from the three. Sighing in relief, he watched silently as Katsuro took one scroll and passed it to Aki before taking the other.

"We will complete this mission and report back as quickly as possible Hachi-sama." Katsuro said, getting a nod from Hachi.

"Be careful you three." He said softly, his worry coming through. "There are rumors that Kumo has taken the land between Uzushiogakure and Konohagakure."

Katsuro nods at that before he and his teammates leave Hachi's office.

"Anyone else think this is fishy?" Aki asked her teammates, getting warry nods from the other two.

"None-the-less, we already agreed to this mission." Katsuro countered before turning to his female teammate. "Aki, this mission is more your specialty so I'm handing leadership to you for this one. So what are we doing?"

Aki paused a moment to consider this.

"First off ,we'll travel at night to reduce the chances of being seen. Second, if what Hachi-sama said is true we should expect hostility the entire way as well. So make sure you're battle ready but camouflaged." Aki stated getting a nod from the two.

"We should leave tonight as well. The sooner we pass this information the better." Ryu commented, getting a approving nod from Aki.

"We leave tonight just after night fall on the south side beach. There is an old fisher there, or he was, and I'm sure his boat is still tied to the dock. We'll use that and the currents to bring us in towards the Land of Fire and should touch down just before dawn. Until then, make sure to pack light for the trip and rest up for the rest of the day." Aki concluded. She was given a quick yes ma'am before the three split up to prepare for the long journey ahead.

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**A/N- Well, that concludes chapter 1. Please R/R and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Thanks to Zlatka, KushinaHyugaUzumaki, and Vallavarayan for reviewing. Reviews motivate, so thank you for the motivation! And in exchange for the support and motivation, h****ere is chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto but I do own the characters who are obviously not part of the original story**

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Almost as soon as Katsuro got home he had striped himself of his clothes and laid down to nap for the remaining of the day. He had slept until only a few hours before sunset and was now up and inspecting the scroll.

Hachi had told him not to open it before handing it off to Kushina and he would do just that, but that didn't mean his curiosity wasn't intrigued. Checking the seal Hachi had written, Katsuro sighed as he saw that this seal was something beyond his current knowledge. Which made him just that little bit more worried. Turn away from the table he had placed the scroll on, Katsuro put the oddity of this mission behind him. He had already accepted the mission, so all he could do was finish it now.

Quickly packing a light bag with all the things he thought he would need on the trip, he sealed that bag into his right forearm with the help of a modified generic seal. On his left forearm, Katsuro sealed a variety of weapons after quickly inspecting them for damage or rust. Once he had everything he needed in the seals, he quickly showered before donning his personal armor set.

He changed into a loose sleeveless black shirt with a pair of loose fitting long pants that came down to his mid-shin. He re-bandaged his shins and ankles before putting on a pair of standard black Shinobi shoes. Over his shirt he fastened on a scale armor chest piece and some small leather pauldrons that were muffled under a modified flak jacket that was hooded and had long coat tails.

He didn't have any weapons pouches as the seals on his forearms held anything he might need, excluding a pair of thin Dao blades that he strapped to his hip. Finally he put on a pair of shin and forearm guards before tying his Hitai-ate around his forehead.

Once changed, Katsuro quickly tested his range of motion before regarding the massive scroll. It was nearly half his height and weighed as much as he did. Which was going to make things awkward for him. None-the-less, it was what needed to be done.

Creating a strap for the scroll, Katsuro managed to get it to lay across his lower back and tested the weight on his back. It was definitely odd, but not something he couldn't adjust to.

Checking his time, Katsuro gazed out the window to find the sun just hitting the horizon. I hadn't seen any of his family yet but he was out of time. So he instead left a brief note for his family, praying that they would all come home to find and read it, before leaving the house.

Pumping chakra into his legs he took off to the south as a sense of foreboding suddenly started building in him, making him jumpy. Still, he wrote the feeling off as pre-mission jitters.

Within an hour, he arrived at the southern shores and easily located the old fishers home. It had long been abandoned, its inhabitants no doubt either gone to Uzushiogakure or the Land of Fire. Either way, Katsuro could see an older row boat at the end of the doc from his hiding place in the trees and knew that would be their means of transportation across the sea.

Checking his time again, he found the sun had mostly set. Which meant that his team was probably already here, just hiding as he was in case the enemy was watching from offshore. Settling himself comfortably against the tree, Katsuro waited for the sun to fully set and night to fall. He scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of trouble that they would have to deal with later.

As the darkness began to settle, Katsuro can feel his body loosening up before leaving his tree and transforming into a field mouse. Slowly making his way out of the forest and towards the house, he looks around for his teammates and wondered where the two could be hiding. He passed by the huts main door and looked around curiously before feeling something scoop him up.

Squeaking in shock, he looks up to find a grinning Aki holding him gently in her hands inside the small hut.

"Interesting choice for the leader of the Owl team." She remarked sarcastically before setting him down on the ground. Katsuro gave his best mousy glare before releasing his transformation and giving his female teammate an appropriate glare.

"It was small and inconspicuous." Katsuro huffed before hearing a door open and seeing Ryu leave another room in the hut. Raising a brow at him and then at Aki, he let his eyes ask the question while a devious smirk pulled on his lips.

"Don't." Aki stated sternly, a dusting of pink on her cheeks.

"I didn't say anything." Katsuro quickly defended himself as his smirk grew.

"Either way, we need to get going." Ryu quickly countered as he shouldered the second scroll and let it settle on his back.

"He's right. Lets get going." Aki said, her embarrassment falling away as the persona of a leader took over. Aki quickly gathered up Ryu's things and slung his pack on her back, as her things were sealed in her forearms like Katsuro.

Once everyone was ready, the three stealthily made their way down to the doc. As Ryu and Katsuro lowered themselves into the boat, Aki untied the boat and pushed off before joining them.

"Katsuro, make some clones and send them out to scout out the area." Aki commanded as she and Ryu began using the oars to put distance between them and the shore.

Having his orders, Katsuro made the seal for shadow clones and created six perfect clones. Each one transformed into a sea gull and took off.

They paddled on for what seemed like forever before finally hitting the southern current and pulled the oars in to rest.

"If this keeps up we'll hit land just before dawn." Ryu noted as he happily let the oar rest within the boat. Nodding his agreement, Katsuro's head suddenly snapped up as a clone dispelled and it's information came flooding into his head.

Recognizing the look on his face, the other two immediately tensed up and began looking around.

"What is it?" Aki asked as Katsuro shook his head.

"My clones found a bunch of Kiri and Kumo ships. They looked around the ship a little and found some orders to attack. One of them is going to carry those orders back to Hachi." Katsuro reported. Aki nodded at this.

"Make sure you send out clones to replace the ones we lost and don't worry you two." She said, trying to sound more confident then she felt. "With Katsuro's clone already on the way, they'll have plenty of time to prepare."

The boys both nodded at her before Katsuro created two more clones and sent them out to join the others. After a few more moments to rest, the boys took up rowing the vessel while Aki kept an eye out for possible enemies.

For the majority of the night they interchanged rowing and resting so they wouldn't be exhausted once they hit land. It was only a couple hours before sunrise that they were able to see land.

"All right. Ryu, sink the ship. We're walking from here." Aki commanded as she shouldered one of the scrolls. Katsuro quickly took the other after passing Ryu his bag and shouldered the second scroll. Ryu meanwhile focused chakra into his hands and used his chakra scalpel to cut several holes into the bottom of the boat.

Within moments, they were taking on water and the three took off across the water as their small boat disappeared beneath the waves. As the boat finally sinked bellow the surface, the three Uzushio-nin touched on land and jumped into the trees.

Aki took the position of lead, followed by Ryu who was trailed by Katsuro. She could hear Katsuro's clones running along side them before turning back to her teammates.

"We'll put some distance between us and the shore. Then we'll rest for the day." She instructed, getting a nod from the two.

After putting about a mile between themselves and the shore, Aki bolted up a strong looking tree rather then push to the next one. Katsuro and Ryu were quick to join her as they climbed as far up the tree as it would allow without snapping under the weight of the three and the scrolls. Once Aki found a suitable couple of branches, they stopped and tried to regain their breath.

"We'll rest here for today. Katsuro, dispel your clones. I'll take the first watch and wake Ryu to replace me later." Aki ordered. The boys both nodded and settled down as Aki handed the scroll off to Ryu.

"See you in a few hours." He said softly as he took the scroll, brushing his fingers ever so slightly against hers. Feeling a blush creeping up on her, Aki tried to force it down as she passed his the scroll.

"Hurry up and go to sleep. You're distracting me." She ordered before taking off to check the perimeter. Ryu watched her go intensely before he was distracted by a snort.

"Please don't get all sappy when I'm around." Katsuro sighed as he rested against the trees trunk. Looking over at Katsuro, Ryu smirked as him.

"That's what you get for insinuating something that didn't happen." Ryu countered. Katsuro chuckled at that.

"You're right. What was I thinking? Aki would have left a few marks if you two finally did sleep together." Katsuro said slyly, enjoying the sputter of shock that came from his teammate.

"Katsuro..." Ryu hissed, his face bright red. He would have beat the younger man a little as revenge but he found that Katsuro had already fallen asleep.

"Bastard." He said softly before settling in to fall asleep as well.

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Aki jumped from one tree to the next, checking her traps and looking for an sign of an enemy. The sounds of the forest filled her ears, reminding her of home and filling her with anxiety. Katsuro had mentioned an attack on her home and she couldn't help but feel the fear rising in her gut.  
"Stop it Aki!" She scolded herself before shaking her head.

"Everything will be fine." She said softly, trying to convince herself that she was right. Jumping away, she rushed through the forest after deciding to double check her traps. Coming to the perimeter of her traps, she kneeled down to check one before pausing.

Suddenly, she realized that the forest had gone completely silent. Taking in a small breath, she cursed as she realized she couldn't smell anything. Quickly bringing her hands together, she tried to dispel the genjutsu she had fallen under as an eery chuckle sounded around her.

"Release!" She commanded, trying to focus her chakra. However, nothing changed and Aki felt panic settling in her chest as the forest began to fall away. Suddenly, a man was standing before her and she glared up at him.

She couldn't see his face, as it was covered by a mask and the standard Shinobi wear made him look like one of many and the only identifying mark on the man was a Kumo Hitai-ate. But through the eye holes of the mask, she could see a pair of cold brown eyes.

"Hello little girl." He cooed, his voice sickly sweet. Aki went to spit at the man when she felt something binding her together, as if she was being wrapped in a cocoon.

"You know, your friend isn't as proficient with the henge as he thinks. He was leaking chakra everywhere and it was very obvious he wasn't just a ship rat." The man said as he began to walk around Aki, who couldn't move or speak but could openly glare. Seeing her glare, the Kumo-nin chuckled and drew a blade from what seemed like nowhere.

"We only let him go because we were curious why he was there. When we saw him transform back to his human form and meet up with what we thought was a clone, we knew we had a spy on deck. And that spy had our orders." The man said as he slowly walked around Aki, manipulating the genjutsu so she was floating off the ground and laying perfectly straight.

Aki struggled against her invisible bonds and tried desperately to break the genjutsu, but was unsuccessful in both.

"You should stop fighting my genjutsu by the way." The man said as he inspected his blades edge.

"I have been trained specifically in Genjutsus and can create one so strong that I could torture someone in the cruelest ways for days and the pain wouldn't break the illusion." He said, a hint of pride in his voice. Growling at that, Aki tried harder to break free as the man slowly drew his blade along her leg.

"But that is not important. What is important is your mission. Why are you Uzusho-nin here? And why are you carrying those oversized scrolls?" The Kumo-nin asked slowly as he leaned in towards Aki.

"So, care to answer?" He asked as Aki found that she could open her mouth.

"Fuck you!" She hissed before spitting at him. The man avoided the spit and Aki saw his eyes start dancing with excitement.

"Since you don't want to go the easy way, I'll have to demonstrate just what I can do in this genjutsu." The Kumo-nin said darkly.

* * *

Ryu jumped awake when he felt a sudden stabbing pain in his side. His hand quickly clasped the spot the pain was coming from instinctively before checking the spot for injury. When he found none, he looked around a little before laying back down to sleep again. And yet, his mind couldn't settle.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he tried to calm his mind so he could sleep. He took in the musky smell of the forest with the slight undertone of salt and let it wash over his senses. The damp smell was comforting, but not as comforting as the silence that surrounded him. Letting it sink in, he felt himself drift closer to sleep when he suddenly realized it.

Jumping back awake, Ryu looked around quickly before strapping the scroll to his back and jumping over to Katsuro.

"Wake up Katsuro." He hissed at the younger Uzumaki.

"W-What?" Katsuro muttered as he was pulled into consciousness.

"Get up. Somethings happened." Ryu hissed, knocking Katsuro fully out of his slumber. Quickly looking around Katsuro reached for the straps of his scroll while listening for trouble. It was only then that he noticed the silence. Silence that only fell when the creatures of the forest had hidden themselves from prey. Silence that hadn't been there previously.

Breathing deeply, Katsuro could smell the musk of the forest and the slight undertone of salt. Which meant they weren't under a genjutsu. He went to test his sense of pain when a sudden glint light caught his attention. Without even thinking, Katsuro pushed Ryu away from himself before rolling off the branch. He aimed to catch the branch bellow him but an explosion from where he had been previously knocked him in the back and sent him hurtling through the branch to the ground.

Landing heavy, Katsuro gave a sort groan of pain before forcing his body up. His sight kept fading in and out as he picked himself up and the ringing in his ears was muffling any sounds his ears might have picked up.

Shaking his head, he tried to regain his focus and take in his surroundings when a rush of chakra entered his system. Recognizing the chakra as Ryu's, he let the chakra run it's course and felt his senses clear up instantly.

Looking around, Katsuro found himself and Ryu surrounded by at least a dozen Kumo-nin.

"Shit..." Katsuro cursed as his hearing cleared up enough to hear a collective chuckle from the group.

"Perhaps you fine gentlemen can answer my questions." One man in particular said as he and his allies slowly closed the circle around Katsuro and Ryu. Drawing his twin Dao blades, Katsuro crouched down and gave the man a glare as his mind worked furiously.

Based on what his enemy had said, they were looking for information and had tried one source but failed.

_Where is Aki? _Katsuro wondered as he tried to find her chakra signature.

"What do you mean by that?" Ryu asked, also catching the double meaning behind what the Kumo-nin had said. The group all chuckled at each other as they exchanged glances and both Katsuro and Ryu felt dread settle in their stomaches.

"Your friend wasn't very cooperative." Another man said darkly. Katsuro's eyes widened at the implication and tightened his grip on his blades.

"Friend?" Ryu asked, his voice small and loose.

"Don't listen to them Ryu. They're trying to get into your head." Katsuro quickly countered, glaring at the group as they snickered at him and cursing under his breath.

"I will admit. She was a stubborn one. Even after falling into my trap she fought for hours to break free, despite the pain she felt." The Kumo-nin sneered as a building tension started to build in Ryu.

"Keep your head Ryu. Remember our mission!" Katsuro ordered, trying to get his comrade to focus.

"That was the other thing. She refused to discuss this mission, choosing death rather then telling me." The Kumo-nin said gleefully

"Shut up..." Ryu growled.

"Ignore them Ryu." Katsuro cut in.

"Even as I carved out her chest and pulled her ribcage apart she bit her tongue." The man continued

"Bastard."

"Ryu. Don't."

"In the end, all I got out of her was a plea to kill her."

Ryu grit his teeth as the rage built inside him.

Katsuro growled at the man and prepared his strongest seal.

"Which I of course obliged." The man said before throwing something towards them. Katsuro watched as the thing bounced and felt the blood stop in his veins as he identified the object as Aki's head. Only, the eye sockets were empty and her scalp was missing.

"After having my fun."

Silence fell for a brief few moments. Time seemed to stop as the two Uzushio-nin processed what had just happened when suddenly a splash of red flew from Katsuro's chest.

"And now I get to do so again. So please play according to my rules." The man said psychotically as he removed his blade from Katsuro's back and swung his blade around and cut through Katsuro's neck.

A splash of red trailed behind the blade, adding to the Kumo-nin's pleasure before a roar of rage filled the sky and an explosion of power shook the earth beneath him. The Kumo-nin all jumped Ryu.

* * *

Anko Mitarashi was not a patient woman when it came to her teammates. Nijou Shoutai was the annoying one with short, sandy-brown hair and dark eyes. He wore glasses along with a simple black outfit with bandages around his ankles and arm-guards, and a sash around his waist which was tied in the back.

But he was nothing compared to Taro Yamanaka. Taro had long blond hair tied up in a high ponytail and green pupil-less eyes. He wore a simple black outfit with a modified vest that was more like a cape in the back then anything with bandages around his ankles and two large weapon pouches on each hip.

Nijou was an overly silent person, who made Anko feel like she was talking to a wall or medical encyclopedia rather then a person, and Taro never shut up. Even now, the blond was running his mouth constantly, going on and on about god only knew what.

"Taro! If you don't shut up I will shove my foot so far up your ass Nijou wont be able to retrieve it!" Anko hissed angrily.

Both her teammates flinched at her harsh comment, knowing that normally she wouldn't go through with such a threat but today she just might. Today, despite having been promised the rest of the day to themselves, the trio had been kicked out of bed and told of a disturbance a few miles east of the base. And it was just their luck that they were the only shinobi available to go check it out. And to make things worst, it was that time for Anko making her extra cranky this week.

So, here they were. Racing towards an unknown situation with a very pissed off snake prodigy who had recently found a passion in torture. Both Nijou and Taro could mentally agree that whatever poor soul Anko got her hands on would suffer a fate worst then death, if they weren't already dead that is.

Silently following the purple haired woman, the two boys let an uncomfortable silence fall before seeing Anko stop and take in the mid-morning air through her mouth.

"What is it?" Taro asked, sniffing the air to try and see what had caught Anko's attention.

"Blood." The snake summoner whispered, her bad mood seeming to have left now that they could definitely confirm that something had happened. Changing course, Anko followed the scent of blood with her teammate following closely behind her.

"Blood means conflict, but there have been no reports of any enemies in this area yet." Taro noted aloud as he tried to think of a reason why the peaceful western forest would have blood spilt within them.

"Obviously the reports are wrong." Anko hissed softly as the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Soon the coppery smell was filling the noses of her two teammates and the group slowed from a full run to a brisk walk as the heavy scent filled their senses.

Pushing forward, Anko found herself shocked to be standing in what looked like a battlefield from hell. There were pieces of bodies everywhere, almost more then patches of blood, and a few craters in the solid ground. Trees had been snapped and uprooted, some even used as a weapon as a couple bodies hung limply from a broken branch that had impaled someone in the chest. All in all, Anko felt like she was back on the front lines rather then in the western woods on a mandatory break from the war.

"I thought we were suppose to get away from the war. Not find it again." Nijou commented softly before slowly making his way into man made field. Anko was quick to follow the medical man with Taro following behind silently.

"They're to far gone to get anything aren't they Taro?" Anko asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. They look like they've been gone for a while." Taro answered before picking up a Hitai-ate.

"But I can tell you that they're Kumo-nin." Taro said before tossing the Hitai-ate to Anko. The woman easily caught the scrap of metal and glared at the carved clouds.

"We should get back and report to the Captain." Anko said softly before Nijou appeared beside her.

"There is a blood trail heading north-west. I would guess there was a survivor and they stumbled away." The medic-nin reported as Anko growled.

"Taro, take care of this mess while me and Nijou track down the survivor. Maybe he can tell us what happened." Anko muttered as Taro pouted.

"Shouldn't I go? I can get the information from his easily." Taro muttered.

"I'm taking Nijou to keep me from killing you and because you would be useless if the survivor is on the verge of death. Now shut up and do as I said." Anko hissed before turning to Nijou. She didn't even open her mouth before the medic-nin took off with her close behind. Picking up on the trail as soon as they broke away from the carnage, Anko took up leading Nijou as she honed in on the scent of this strangers blood.

She followed the trail for about a mile before she finally saw someone at the end of the trail. Wordlessly commanding him to help her flank the unknown man, they quickly dropped in on the man and paused in shock.

"What the..." Anko started before being cut off by the man before her.

"Scrolls for Kushina...Uzumaki can only... open or ...else..."

Anko rushed forward and caught the man as he suddenly collapsed.

* * *

**A/N- That's it for chapter 2! There was a lot that seemed to happen and yet it was all within 24 hours, quiet impressive if I do say so. **

**Anyways, please review as reviews are motivation to write. That motivation helps me to write at a faster pace and updates are made sooner. Let me know what you guys think and I'll start working on chapter 3 in the morning. For now though, goodnight!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Hello all! The motivation to write hit me strongly today so I cranked this out for you all to enjoy. ****As usual, special thanks to Zlatka, KushinaHyugaUzumaki, and asfjnm for the reviews as reviews are motivation. And to answer your guy's question about the main story, well I'll answer in the ending notes of this chapter.**

**So, lets start chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto but the obviously made up characters are products of my imagination.**

* * *

"Scrolls for Kushina...Uzumaki can only... open or ...else..." The stranger choked out before suddenly collapsing.

Rushing forward, Anko caught him before he could hit the ground and grunted under his weight. Slowly lowering him to the ground, she briefly wondered why such a skinny and lengthy guy was so heavy. Her contemplation was cut short however, when Nijou appeared at her side and began examining the stranger carefully, giving Anko time to ponder what had just happened.

The man's bright red hair and shocking green eyes had been enough to stop her in her tracks and steal all her concentration the second she laid eyes on him. She found herself only released of that enchantment when he had started to collapse and then she rushed over to catch him without thinking. Now that the moment had passed however, the shinobi in her took over with a furious shake of the head and she noted that his Hitai-ate had a symbol on it that she didn't recognize. A swirl in a circle.

"Nijou." She said quickly, knowing he would understand her silent question.

"He's badly injured. There is one stab wound through the upper right chest, resulting in a collapsed lobe of the lung. Several stab wounds in the abdomen, too shallow to damage the internal organs. Various cuts of different lengths and depths along his entire body. Various fractured bones and someone decided to thoroughly tenderize him." Nijou concluded as he reached in his supply bag for a soldier pill. Popping the pill into his own mouth, Nijou let the effect of the pill boost his chakra as he sent it into the man resting against Anko.

"Can we move him?" Anko asked, knowing that Nijou wasn't trained for such heavy damage.

"Once I finish closing off the wounds and stop his blood loss, yes." Nijou stated as he focused on sealing the injured man's wounds. Once the man's wounds were closed off enough to permit traveling, Nijou pulled away.

"He needs a doctor. Now." The drained medic-nin stated as he pulled away.

"Then we need to hurry. Take the scroll he had been carrying in his arms and I'll take him with the one on his back. We meet up with Taro and then head back to the base as quickly as possible to report our findings." Anko ordered as she shifted the man so she could throw him over her shoulder. Obeying the command, Nijou took the spare scroll and lifted it with a strained grunt.

"Geez! This thing weights a ton." the medic-nin complained before managing to lift the scroll onto his shoulders.

"Would you like to carry the man and the scroll?" Anko asked sarcastically at the complaining medic. Nijou quickly said no before backing away from Anko a little. Seeing his reaction, she glared lightly before shifting the boy on her shoulder so his ribs weren't pressing on her shoulder. Once everything was ready, the two took off back towards Taro, who happened to meet him half way back to the field.

"Who is he?" Taro asked, pointing the the unconscious man Anko was setting down.

"We don't know yet and we don't have time to find out. He needs a doctor now so we're taking him back to the base." Nijou explained as Anko removed the scroll from the man's back.

"Take this scroll Taro. But be careful, it's heavy as hell." Anko warned before pulling the man onto her back and lifting him with relative ease now that the scroll was off his back.

Taro however, was doing as ordered and cursed out loud as he realized just how heavy the scroll was. Nijou quickly clapped his hand over Taro's mouth before he could complain about the weight and spared the man from Anko's short temper.

Leaving once more, Anko couldn't help but notice how much lighter the man felt now and became hyperaware of him on her back. His shoulders laid just above hers and his chest was just wide enough that she fit in it. His chin fit in the crook of her neck and his arms dangled over her shoulders. But what she was most aware of was the blood seeping from his wounds through her clothes. It was hot and sticky and just annoying to the snake woman but she didn't want to carry one of the scrolls so she bite her tongue.

They launched themselves through the forest, pushing off branches in a silent drone before catching sight of the base they had been assigned to.

The base was completely walled in with the walls reaching up at least fifteen feet into the air. Within the walls was a barrack with laundry and showers included, clinic, mess hall and a shabby bar someone had built at one point. Each building faced in towards the center of the base with only one walk way that lead towards the gate.

Jumping down to the gate, they were met by two chunin who regarded them in shock.

"W-What is this?" One asked as he looked over the three with confused hazel eyes.

"There's no time right now." Nijou said as he gladly dropped the scroll from his back. "This man needs medical attention now or he will die."

"And we have our report on the disturbances to the west for the Captain." Anko stated as she shifted Katsuro's weight on her back before heading to the base doctor, resulting in a small groan from Nijou as he picked the heavy scroll back up to follow.

"We'll meet him in the clinic." She shouted over her shoulder as she rushed the red-head to the doctor. The three quickly swept past any other Shinobi they happened to pass on their way before Taro flung open the doctor's door so Anko could step inside without pausing.

"What is this?" The Doctor demanded from behind his desk as he jumped up. The man was a civilian doctor and on the pudgy side but Nijou swore up and down that he was qualified. The doctor's brown hair was short and tossed lazily with hazel eyes. His face was clean and round with a pair of glasses. He wore a pair of tan slacks and a white button down shirt under his white medical coat.

Looking around, Anko tried to find the surgical room and was successful a few moments later. She pushed her way into the room as Nijou and Taro dropped the scrolls in the main waiting room.

"Severely wounded." Nijou quickly explained. "Collapsed lobe of the lung, nicked brachial vein, several stab wounds and cuts, a few fractured bones, and bruises everywhere."

As the two medical men exchanged their notes, Anko carried the man to the examining table and gently set him on it with Taro's help. Just as they finished setting him down, the doctor and a nurse ushered them out while Nijou stayed to help the doctor.

Stepping out of the surgical room, Anko sighed heavily as she and Taro stepped into the waiting room. Moving the scrolls to a corner, they sat in the chairs adjacent to them and quickly inspected them.

"Should we try opening them?" Taro asked as he looked over the seal on the scrolls.

"No." Anko replied. "Whoever he was, he did say that only an Uzumaki can open or something will happen. Also, he said they were for Kushina and I'm assuming he means Kushina 'The Red-Hot Habanero' Uzumaki." Anko explained before seeing the shinobi captain running towards them.

The man was a veteran in life, which was probably why he had been assigned to lead this base rather then fight in the war. His grey hair was cut close to his head and ran into a full beard. On a tanned and aged face, his bright golden eyes were more expressing then most shinobi but that was what made people trust him. On his forehead was a blue Hitai-ate and he wore standard shinobi grab with a pair of shin guards.

The man stopped in front of them as they rose to greet him.

"Someone told me you dragged in a half dead rag doll." The captain stated as he looked over the two and noted the blood all over Anko's back.

Seeing where his gaze was focused, she removed her jacket so everyone could see that she wasn't injured.

"We check out the disturbance sir. It looks like some sort of battle happened about three miles west of here and one mile east of the shore." Anko reported before Tako cut in.

"Upon inspecting the scene I came to the conclusion that there was a scrimmage between at least a dozen Kumo-nin and our patient and one other. They both wore the same Hitai-ate but I don't recognize the symbol." Taro reported before handing the captain the unusual Hitai-ate he had found.

"There didn't seem to be any survivors of the battle besides the man Anko found and I properly handled the bodies on location." Taro continued before realizing the captain wasn't listening any more. Just staring down at the Hitai-ate he had been handed.

"Sir?" Anko asked, her curiosity peeked by the shocked look on the mans face. "Does that symbol mean something to you?"

"You mean you don't recognize it?" The man asked as he gave the two a look of shock. Once the two shook their heads no, the captain sighed.

"This is a Hitai-ate of Uzushiogakure. It's because of them that Kumo and Kiri haven't invaded the western shore. But if what you said is any indication, then I'm going to assume otherwise." The captain said, worry building in his gut. It was then that he noticed the two large scrolls resting against the walls.

"Whats with those?" He asked, pointing to the scrolls.

"The red-head was carrying them when we found him. He said the scrolls are for Kushina Uzumaki and only she can open them. Or else." Anko reported.

"Or else what?" The captain asked.

"I'm not sure sir, but I don't recognize the seal on them so I think it's for the best to request for Uzumaki and have her open them." Anko answered truthfully. The elder man nodded at this before sighing softly.

"When the doctors are done, move the scrolls into the room with our guest and watch over them. This will be your mission until Kushina Uzumaki arrives." The man ordered. "but for now, get plenty of rest you two. You've earned it." The captain said before looking into the clinic.

"As soon as he is stable, I want you to use your ability to delve into his mind and get a read on the situation." The captain said to Taro.

"Yes sir." The Yamanaka responded with a quick salute before the captain returned to his post. Watching him go, Taro sighed and sat back down into his seat.

"I'll take the first watch. You should go clean up real quick." Taro suggested as he gestured to Anko's bloodied back before getting a nod from his team leader. She slowly walked away from the clinic and made her way towards the barrack.

It was here that she and her team had been sent when they almost got themselves killed defending a hill. It was suppose to be a calm place that the war didn't touch, a good place to rest before going back to reality but now the war was here as well.

Sighing at that thought, Anko quickly slid into the barracks and got a change of clothes before heading to the showers.

* * *

Taro sat in the waiting room of the clinic as he waited for the Doctor, nurse, and medic-nin to finish with the stranger. He was fading in and out of consciousness, letting the quick cat naps supplement his lack of sleep. Being dragged out of bed early had been annoying but necessary. That coupled with the unsettling scene at the battlefield had just about completely drained him. Luckily, the short cap naps allowed him to drive away his wariness but it didn't help much with the gnawing in his stomach.

Feeling another growl escape his stomach, Taro sighed and put his arms over his stomach.

"Hungry?" A female voice asked. Looking up, Taro saw Anko enter the clinic with a tray of food from the mess tent and a brown paper bag. She was dressed in a short-sleeved burgundy T-shirt and khaki shorts, knee-high mesh stockings, white wristbands, and black shinobi sandals with her Hitai-ate tied around her forehead.

Quickly snatching the tray away, Taro devoured the food while getting a smirk from his teammate.

"Good thing I brought a separate bag for Nijou." She commented before sitting down opposite of Taro and checking the clock. It had been almost an hour since they returned and it was obvious that the whole base was on it's toes. Everyone was armed and ready for battle, yet here she was waiting for the medic to finish working on the stranger.

"They should be finishing up soon." Taro managed as he stuffed his face as quickly as he could with the tasteless food. Anko nodded at his comment before leaning back in her chair and sighing.

"So...Is it as bad out there as it seems?" Taro continued, trying to keep the conversation alive with his teammate.

"Yes." Anko answered simply as she settled down. A silence fell over the two and Taro squirmed uncomfortably.

"Do you think Kumo knows where this base is?" He asked quietly as he but the now empty tray down beside him.

"If they did, we'd be dead already." Anko pointed out before the door to the surgical room opened up. Anko and Taro both jumped to their feet as the doctor, nurse, and Nijou left the room. The three collapsed into chairs before Anko passed the food she had to Nijou. Her teammate torn open the bag to get to the food.

"How did it go?" Anko asked.

"He's fine now. At first things were fine but it seems that one of the stabbings in his abdomen had nicked his abdominal artery. We managed to catch it just in time though." Nijou admitted as he took a bite of the sandwich that Anko had brought him.

"Is he stable enough for me to look around in his head and find out what happened?" Taro asked, wanting to get his mission done and over with as soon as possible so he could rest.

"As long as he doesn't have to be conscious it's fine. He's in the fourth examining room where we'll keep him under observation." The doctor admitted before Taro nodded and stood up. The Yamanaka lifted one scroll onto his shoulders as Anko took the other. Taro headed down the hall to the room as Anko turned to Nijou.

"Get some rest Nijou. Ill get the captain and assist Taro." Anko ordered, getting a nod from her tired teammate. Nijou left the clinic as the doctor excused himself while Anko sent a summon to the shinobi captain. She followed Taro to the examination room and quickly evaluated the man on the bed.

The man laid there on his back with one arm over his stomach and the other laying at his side. His head was tilted slightly towards them and all evidence of pain and unease was gone. All in all, he was definitely looking better now that some color had returned to his face. Laying in the bed with a light blanket thrown over his legs and bandages covering his upper body, Anko could see a few spots where the bleeding was heavier as red spots were seeping through the fabric.

"At least he doesn't look like he tangoed with a Shinigami anymore." Taro noted with a crooked smile as he set the scroll he was carrying down. Anko nodded at that as she also set the scroll she had been carrying down before the shinobi captain joined them.

"I was on my way over to check how things were when I ran into your summon." The man explained when Anko gave him a questioning look, no doubt for his speedy arrival.

"Now. Lets get this done and see what this man knows. Yamanaka-san." The captain ordered as he closed the door to the room. Taro nodded at the command before flashing through a bunch of hand signs and transferring his consciousness into the strangers. As his body began to slump, Anko caught her teammate and set him on the ground.

"Now we wait." Anko noted before getting a nod from the captain.

"Now we wait." The man said as he pulled up a chair.

* * *

Taro felt himself slip into the mind of the man before him. At first, it felt like normal but then he felt himself crashing into something. Looking around, he found himself in a cage of some sort with tunnels leading off to various directions. The tunnels he had expected, but not the cage.

"Damn. This one is smarter then I thought." Taro cursed before feeling a small gust of wind hit his back. Quickly turning to face it, Taro was shocked to see the man standing just outside the cage. Recognizing him as the same man who was laying on the bed in the clinic, Taro smiled.

"Hi there." Taro greeted as the man slowly raised a brow at him.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Taro Yamanaka." Taro said as he took a seat in the middle of the cage.

"You...Your a Konoha-nin." The man said as he stared at Taro's forehead.

"Yep!" Taro chirped happily. "I'm a Chunin of Konohagakure. Now, do you mind telling me who you are?"

The man bite his lip as he considered answering the question before reaching out and touching the cage. Suddenly, the cage fell away much to Taro's surprise.

"My name is Katsuro Uzumaki. I am a chunin of Uzushiogakure and I was sent with my team to deliver two very large scrolls to Kushina Uzumaki." Katsuro explained as a serious edge found its way into his voice. Flashes of images passed before Taro of Uzushiogakure and people he could only assume were related to the red-head.

"Within those scrolls is information detrimental to the war, information my leader said would make or break Konoha in this war. He also said that the scrolls will only open for Kushina Uzumaki and that if anyone other then her attempts to open them they will combust and reduce to ashes." Katsuro said as he slowly walked closer to Taro, the image of a map of the Land of Fire burning to ashes flashing before them.

"One of my teammates was tortured to death by Kumo-nin for information and the other died after ripping the man responsible to pieces." More images flashed by and Taro felt the blood leave his face as he watched the events that had led up to the explosion that alerted the base to trouble.

He felt more then saw the blade running through Katsuro's chest before seeing him quickly forming hand signs. The blade had left Katsuro's chest and soon was soon scraping his neck when he finished the jutsu and switched out with a log. But that was after he had been cut enough on his neck to draw blood, which made Ryu snap. Taro watched as the medic-nin had used his training to start disassembling any Kumo-nin in his path and Katsuro try his best to support him but with a collapsed lung Taro could tell he wasn't much help.

"I did my best and killed those left after his rampage" The images of the long and gruesome battle fluttered around Taro, making the boy briefly wonder how Katsuro had even survived the battle.

"And I don't know if they did have any information or if all who knew about us had been killed. But I do know that if you don't go back and warn your people as quickly as possible then you will be overrun and then killed." The red-head said before the images all fell away, leaving Taro and Katsuro floating in the dark within arm distance of each other.

"Now hurry up and go back." Katsuro commanded as he reached out to Taro to push him out of his mind. Shaken and ready to leave, Taro was more then ready to oblige when he remembered something.

"When you wake up, make sure you thank Anko Mitarashi and Nijou Mibu." Taro said with a strained smirk, getting a confused looked from the man.

"Anko found you and Nijou kept you alive." Taro explained before getting a slow nod from Katsuro. Smiling brightly, Taro released his jutsu and returned to his own body.

Watching the man leave, Katsuro sighed tiredly. His entire mindscape felt heavy and sluggish and he took that sensation as his hint to actually rest now. So he relaxed and focused on healing his broken body.

* * *

Coming out of the jutsu, Taro gave a sharp gasp as he came around. For a few moments he was completely disorientated as he tried to settle himself and he could feel rather then see the Shinobi captain and Anko.

"What happened?" Anko asked as she helped Taro to his feet.

"His name is Katsuro Uzumaki." Taro started as he disregarded Anko's question. "He is a chunin from Uzushiogakure on a mission to bring those two scrolls to Konoha. The scrolls have vital information related to the war in them and can only be opened by Kushina Uzumaki. If anyone else tries to open them they will combust and the information will be lost. Also, Kumo is in the area and likely know what his mission was so we need to beef up the defenses now."

Taking that information in, the captain nodded before disappearing to give his orders. Anko helped Taro and the Yamanaka sighed heavily before looking back down at the man in the bed.

"There was more then just that?" Anko asked, knowing Taro would only report what was necessary. The Yamanaka snorted.

"I saw everything that happened to him. This crazy bastard was stabbed in the chest and almost immediately decapitated afterwards. His teammate went ballistic and despite not being able to breath, this crazy bastard jumped right back into the fight." Taro explained without looking at Anko.

The snake woman looked down at Katsuro and tried to picture the story Taro was weaving. She could picture the story all to well but most shinobi wouldn't have survived such an event.

"He did his best to protect his remaining teammate but he wasn't fast enough and lost him too. That was what gave him the strength to finish a seal he had been drawing and kill the rest of the Kumo-nin." Taro continued before shaking his head.

Starting down at Katsuro, Anko could only bow her head in respect to the man. Not many could take on a dozen Kumo-nin and survive, the fact that he had was a testimony to his perseverance and tenacity.

"Lets hope he survives." Anko commented, getting a questioning look from her teammate.

"He's obviously an incredible shinobi. We need good shinobi." She defended with a shrug before sitting in the chair the captain had perviously occupied.

"Now go and get some proper rest. If what you said is right, I've got the feeling we won't get many more chances to rest after this." She said with a shrug. Sighing, Taro knew she was right.

"What about you?" He asked getting a shrug in response.

"I'll stay here and watch him and the scrolls. You and Nijou need more rest right now so go take it." Anko ordered. Knowing he wouldn't win an argument with her, Taro just nodded and left to get his deserved rest.

Anko meanwhile pulled out her kunai and the sharpening set she had picked up along the way and started her boring mission of babysitting.

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**A/N- And that's chapter 3! Please review for me and let me know what you think while I start the next chapter. ****Oh! and since I promised to answer you questions about the main story, here is the summary for Rise of the Uzumaki Clan:**

**__****With the obliteration of his clan and home, Katsuro left Konoha to avenge his fallen family. When news of Kyuubi's attack reached him however, he raced back to Konoha to find that Kushina and Minato had been killed; leaving only their new born son. Unable to leave the boy, Katsuro adopts the boy immediately and begins the biggest mission of his life. Raising a child alone.**

******Well, there you go! Goodnight everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Hi all! Here is a new chapter for you! Much thanks to KushinaHyugaUzumaki and DrunkenBunny for reviewing, as reviews are motivation.**

**This is 4/6 chapters, so we have passed the half way point of this story. Once complete, I will start Rise of the Uzumaki! So keep an eye out for it as I've been updating quickly as of late.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto. If I did, it would not be nearly as awesome.**

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Kushina Uzumaki couldn't help but be worried, more so then usual at least. Normally she would be worrying about her husband and friends somehow surviving this stupid war but today she had a little more to be concerned about.

Today she had been called away from the frontline and ordered to the eastern base, the place they sent shinobi to recover from battle fatigue. And unfortunately that old Hokage knew her well enough to have Minato write her a letter to convince her to go rather then stay on the frontline.

Normally, she'd just tell the two off but the Hokage had ordered Shibi Aburame to escort her there as well and she couldn't shake Shibi no matter how hard she tried. That and the distinct lack of explanation of why she had to go was unsettling, so she just gave in and followed the Aburame towards the eastern base. They had traveled as quickly as they could, stopping only when necessary, for nearly two days and were now with the last mile of the base.

"Maybe now we can get some answers as to what is so damn important." Kushina hissed, getting a silent nod from the bug man. He too had been worrying about this unusual mission but he did a better job at keep silent with his concerns then Kushina. Still, it was worrying.

Jumping from one branch to another, Shibi caught a glint form the corner of his eye and quickly halted Kushina as two kunai hit the branches they were standing on.

"What the hell?" Kushina cursed as two additional Konoha-nin made themselves known by stepping out of the shadows.

"Identify yourselves and your purpose." One commanded as he took a defensive stance.

"Shibi Aburame and Kushina Uzumaki." Shibi answered monotonously. "We were ordered by the Sandaime to come to the eastern base immediately."

Kushina noted the meaningful glance pass between the two men before they dropped their stances.

"We need to see your orders." One shinobi asked, the hard look in his eyes quickly replaced with a tired one. Seeing the change, Kushina regarded the man in confusion before jumping down to ground level with Shibi. Rummaging in her weapons pouch, she retrieved their orders and tossed them to the men.

The scroll was easily caught by the two guards and they regarded its contents briefly before sighing softly.

"This way. Quickly." They commanded before taking off in the direction of the base. Kushina and Shibi were quick to fall in line with them as they ran.

"What's going on? Why did you guys have to see our orders?" Kushina asked as she ran between the two.

"The captain was put everyone on high alert." One of the chunin explained. "Three days ago there was a disturbance a few miles to the east. When a team went out to investigate, they found a Chunin from Uzushiogakure."

"From Uzushio?" Kushina asked as she recalled the place of her birth. The man nodded before continuing.

"Apparently, Kumo is in the area so we've been on high alert." The man explained.

_That still doesn't explain why Shibi and I were reassigned here. _Kushina thought as they stopped before the gate of the base. They quickly handed over there orders and confirmed their identities to the gate keepers before being instructed to see the Shinobi captain.

Doing as requested, the two headed for the captains quarters which were in the barracks and found the man as he was just leaving the barracks. Seeing the pair, the older man quickly walked over to them.

"Uzumaki-san. Aburame-san." The man said in relief as he gave the two a slight bow. A little flustered by the gesture, Kushina bowed awkwardly while Shibi nodded his head slightly.

"We received orders to come here as quickly as possible but were not given any reason why." Kushina explained as she handed the man the scroll with her orders. Taking it, the captain waved for Kushina and Shibi to follow him.

"Three days ago there was a disturbance a few miles east of here. I sent a chunin team to investigate and they returned a short while later with a Uzushio-nin and two large scrolls." The captain explained as he lead the two towards the clinic. Nodding at the information, Kushina quickly wrote it off as old information.

"After having a Yamanaka poke around in his head, we learned that the scrolls contain vital information related to the war and that if anyone but you opens it" The captain gestured to Kushina.

"Then the scroll will combust and the information will be lost."

"How is that possible?" Shibi asked, his curiosity peeked.

"It's complicated." Kushina answered. "Take a normal closing seal, rewrite it so it will only open with a small blood offering, make the selection specific, add a fire release seal as a fail safe if the proper selection isn't made, and there you go. A seal that will only open for one person and combusts if it isn't them."

Both men stopped in their tracks and looked at Kushina oddly before the captain shook his head.

"Anyways. We need the information in the scrolls, hence why you're here Uzumaki-san." The man explained as he held the door to the clinic open for the two. Quickly slipping inside, the saw a pudgy man rise from a chair behind a desk before seating himself again as the captain entered the building.

"This way." The elder shinobi said as he led the two down a hallway of observation rooms. Wrinkling her nose, Kushina tried not to sneeze in the aseptic clinic and was shocked to hear the sound of a sneeze. Looking over at Shibi, she noted that he had one brow raised but no sighs of having just sneezed and the captain didn't do it, so who had sneezed?

Looking past the older man, she saw two other shinobi standing guard outside a room. The blonde was rubbing his nose with the brunette scolded him softly.

"This is Taro Yamanaka and NijouMibu. They were part of the team that rescued our friend." The captain explained as both boys bowed to the three before them.

"He's still sleeping sir. Hasn't moved an inch." Taro quickly reported before getting a nod from the man as he opened the door to the observation room. Pushing inside, Kushina first felt a little claustrophobic in the small and now crowded room before noting the red head on the bed.

Taking in his appearance, she quickly realized that she didn't recognize the boy and sighed softly. Somewhere deep within her, she had hoped maybe it would be an old friend or a first cousin of hers that had come but now she was sure it wasn't.

"This is Anko Mitarashi." The captains said as he gestured to the teen. Anko offered a small bow as she took the scrolls from behind Katsuro's bed.

"And this is Katsuro Uzumaki. He was carrying these. They're really heavy so be careful." The snake summoner warned as she brought them out. Reminded of her job, Kushina nodded and kneeled down to quickly looked over the seal on the scrolls.

"I need an empty room." She said after making her assessment.

"Why?" Shibi asked as she stood again.

"There are some elements I don't recognize in the scroll. They could be more traps or they could be nothing but I'd rather not risk it. I need to open them alone in an empty room just to be safe." Kushina explained, getting a nod from the captain.

He and Shibi quickly took the scrolls from and Anko and moved them into the next room as Kushina looked back down at Katsuro. Brushing a strand of his red hair out of his face, she found her thoughts drifting back to Uzushiogakure and its natural beauty. Sure, Konohagakure was beautiful as well and she did consider the village in the leaves her home but there was something magical about Uzushio.

"Uzumaki-san." Anko said, breaking Kushina's line of thought. Giving the girl her attention, Kushina pulled away from Katsuro.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Is he...I mean...Are you two related?" Anko asked, avoiding her real question of if the woman thought the boy before her would wake soon.

"We are. In much the same way as a Hyuuga of the main branch is related to a Hyuuga of the side branch." Kushina explained, noting the teen's odd look. "We're basically cousins."

"Oh." Anko answered dumbly, mentally kicking herself for making it look like she was stupid and needed things spelt out for her. After all, anyone could tell they were related. They shared the same last name and hair color for Kami's sake!

Seeing the girls mild frustration in her eyes, Kushina smirked slightly before Shibi appeared to tell her the scrolls were ready. Quickly leaving the room Katsuro lay in, she moved to the room adjacent to his and closed the door behind her.

In the room, alone with the scrolls, she took a calming breath before getting to work. Laying the scrolls on the observation bed, she arranged the two scrolls so the seals were facing her and pulled out a kunai. Cutting her thumb shallowly, she squeezed some blood out of the cut before smearing it over the two seals. She then quickly made the hand sign to release the seals and pressed her palms over them.

Expecting a dramatic pop or flashing light, she was a little shocked when nothing happened.

_Did I mess something up? _She wondered before pulling her hands away. But when she did, she could see that the seals had been broken, the blood was gone, and the scroll before her unwound a little as the paper fell to gravity's will. On this small bit of exposed paper, Kushina could see her name written in the neat writing of a seals master. Grabbing that scroll, she quickly unraveled it and found a message to her written within.

The message was from her clan leader, explaining the true contents of the scrolls and circumstances that had forced him to send them. It further explained that Hachi could not keep his promise to the Hokage anymore and protect the land of fire's eastern beaches. It said that Uzushiogakure was most likely going to fall before the end of the war and with it's fall, their clans history and knowledge would have definitely fallen into the wrong hands. And so Hachi selected the best team he could to bring her these scrolls in the hopes that with their help, she could protect their clan's secrets and pass them on to whatever Uzumaki's came in the future. The note then ended with a small prayer that if the future does come to pass as Hachi thinks it will, he will be able to rest in peace knowing that there is at least one Uzumaki in the world who has their inheritance.

Reading over the note several times, Kushina felt a hard and frozen lump settle in her chest. She stared at the letters on the page in frozen horror and she thought of what all this meant. Her home, that magical island, was gone and all she had left from it were the hundreds of scrolls of clan knowledge sealed within these two carrying scrolls.

_They were carrying the future of our clan. _Some part of her brain recognized. Katsuro and his team literally carried the hopes and dreams of their entire clan here and now the burden had been passed to her. It was up to her and Katsuro to protect and pass on the knowledge.

_I have to hide this. _She thought slowly, the shock melting away to her sense of duty.

_This knowledge isn't for everyone. _The flash of an image of Danzo made Kushina flinch as she quickly rolled the scroll back up.

_But there are some who are worthy. _She thought as she pictured her husband and Jiraiya.

Reactivating the seal, she put the scroll back with it's counter part and stood there thinking. First, she had to tell the Hokage of the fall of Uzushiogakure, as it left a major hole in their defenses. Then, she would have to hide the scrolls well to keep them out of the wrong hands. She'd also have to tell Katsuro the truth, which was more then likely not going to end well, and probably the Hokage as well. And finally, she would have to deal with whatever issues she was repressing when she could be with Minato again.

_First things first. _She thought as she stood up properly and headed for the door. Opening it, she found the captain and Shibi waiting for the news.

"Uzushiogakure has fallen." She said to the captain, noting that the man had paled. "Send word to the Hokage that you will be needing assistance immediately."

"Right." The man said before turning to leave When Kushina reached out and grabbed him.

"I have to take the scrolls and the boy back to Konoha." She said seriously to the Captain. The man gave her a questioning look and Kushina's mind began whirling quickly for an explanation.

"It's been three days and he hasn't woken yet. He'll only be in the way here. We have to move him to Konoha." She explained as she mentally checked off Katsuro and took the task of finding an excuse to take the scrolls as well.

"And the scrolls?" Shibi asked. Kushina bit her lip before it came to her..

"In the scrolls are maps of the last known locations of Kiri and Kumo around Uzushio. We can send them with the team taking the boy to Konoha." She lied before seeing the older man nod slowly. Not sure if her lied worked or not, she simply took the nod as a win.

"I will send word ahead of Uzushio's fall. Since you are the only one who can open the scrolls, you will have to take them to Konoha." The captain started, seeing the question rising in Kushina.

"I'll make sure to assign you a team to help you." He quickly added. Nodding gratefully, Kushina watched the man leave and turned to face Shibi.

"Hurry up and ask." She demanded, knowing the stoic man would not have fallen for her obvious lie. The bug man tilted his head towards her and shrugged.

"An Uzumaki carrying two large scrolls to another Uzumaki after the fall of their home." He said simply, able to guess why Kushina had lied. As a clan leader himself, he could fully understand any need to protect clan secrets so he didn't question her. And with that thought, he simply walked away to find some food for himself and his bugs.

Watching him go, Kushina couldn't help but scratch her head before sighing and returning to Katsuro's room. Inside she found Anko sitting in the chair by the door.

"Are you always watching over him?" Kushina asked with a mischievous smile. Anko huffed quietly.

"Obviously not. It just happens to be my shift right now." The snake summoner growled.

Chuckling, Kushina walked over to Katsuro's side and was reminded that everything was gone. Her family and friends in Uzushio were gone. She and Katsuro were the last two Uzumaki's in the world. Feeling her throat tighten and her eyes sting, she tried to force the rising sobs back when a soft groan interrupted her grief.

Looking up, she was a little shocked to see Katsuro grimacing in pain. Then one midnight green eye opened slowly, looking up at her in confusion and pain. Once he focused in on her, Katsuro tried to lift an arm but found it was too heavy.

"How are you feeling Katsuro?" Kushina asked as the boy stared looking around slowly. Looking up to follow his gaze, Kushina found herself alone and briefly wondered where Anko had gone when the teen showed up with the doctor. The pudgy man was soon besides Katsuro and checking him over.

"W-Where am I?" Katsuro managed to choke out after a moment. The doctor looked up at Katsuro as he pulled his stethoscope away from the young man's chest.

"The Land of Fire." The man said softly before pulling the metal tips out of his ears and laying the devise across the back of his neck.

"Tell me. Can you remember anything?" The doctor asked, checking Katsuro's eyes as he did so.

Katsuro swallowed a few times before trying to answer.

"I was on a mission." He began.

"To deliver information to Kushina Uzumaki. I'm to return when complete." Katsuro said softly before looking back over at Kushina. He didn't have to guess who she was, which meant he was successful. He could return home now and tell Aki and Ryu's families that his teammates had passed away as proud shinobi.

Thinking of his teammates, Katsuro tried to lift himself up but he found himself stopped by a slender hair.

"You're too hurt to travel now." Kushina quickly said as she pushed him back down onto the bed. Katsuro tried to resist her, but found his strength giving in as he slowly slipped back into unconsciousness. Watching him fall back away, Kushina half listened as Anko asked the doctor about Katsuro and his response to her questions.

Knowing the boy was just exhausted, Kushina didn't bother to pay much attention before turning to Anko as the doctor leaves and the Captain arrives.

"I heard he woke up." The man huffed as he leaned in the doorway. Both women nodded to the man before he took a large breath to steady himself.

"We will need to move him quickly then. Kids have a way of trying to jump back into battle when they aren't fully healed yet." The man commented as his breathing got under control again.

"Anko, get your team ready. You found the boy and brought him here and now your going to take him back to Konoha." The captain ordered, getting a small groan from the girl before she disappeared out the door. The man then turned to Kushina.

"I hope you're still up for traveling." The man commented seriously. "The sooner you get that information to the Hokage the better."

Nodding, Kushina quickly excused herself to restock her supplies and grab a quick bite. Once she had done these quick chores, she returned to the clinic to find Anko and her team already packing up the large scrolls. She then noticed a nurse giving Katsuro a shot as Taro stood near by.

"What is that?" Kushina asked the nurse.

"A sedative. To keep him under while you travel. It should last twelve hours so I handed over four more prepared vials to the medic-nin." The nurse explained. Kushina nodded at that and helped Taro lift Katsuro onto his ready, Kushina ordered the group to move out and took off towards Konoha.

As they shoot past the gate, Anko jumps beside Taro and smirks at him.

"I hope that isn't your favorite shirt Yamanaka." She teased, getting an annoyed look from the boy.

Listening in, Kushina was curious as to what Anko had meant and turned to Nijou.

"What is she talking about?" She asked, getting a chuckle from the medic.

"Anko carried Katsuro back to the base after we found him. She had to throw away her coat and shirt by the time we got back since Katsuro bled all over them." Nijou explained, getting a small smile from Kushina.

"I guess my cousin owes you a new jacket Mitarashi-san." Kushina called back to the girl.

"Damn straight he does!" Anko called back, getting a laugh from the older woman and her teammates.

"Remind me when we get back to Konoha, I'll buy you a new one." Kushina offered before getting a refusal shake of the head.

"Thank you but no." Anko answered. "I'll make the guy responsible buy me a new jacket."

"That may take a while you know." Kushina pointed out, getting a devious smirk in reply.

"We'll see." was Anko's reply.

Three days later, the small group found themselves checking in at Konoha's gates. The gate keepers both looked at the group oddly, as they all looked exhausted. Kushina had one scroll on her back and it's pair was on Taro's. Katsuro was on a tired Anko, who was swearing under her breath at a red-headed demon who had pushed them the entire trip by hardly stopping to rest. Nijou meanwhile was popping his last soldier pill just to keep conscious.

Once their papers checked out Kushina turned to the three.

"Okay. I'll take the other scroll and bring them to the Hokage. You three take Katsuro to the hospital and go rest." She ordered, getting grateful nods from the Chunin.

Taro handed Kushina the second scroll and stretched his back gratefully as Kushina threw the second scroll over her shoulder.

"I'll meet you guys at the hospital later. Dismissed." Kushina ordered before disappearing.

Rushing across the roof tops, Kushina made a bee-line straight for the house she had bought with Minato just before the war. When they had bought the house, Kushina had been a little turned off by the basement but Minato insisted that the second level was great for storing ninja tools or as a makeshift training area when discretion was necessary. Now she was grateful for it, as there was a completely shut in room she could hide and seal the scrolls in for now.

Seeing the house, she dropped down to street and paused at the gate of the house. Before her was a larger house with a front and back yard and two decent sized trees. Resting her hand on the gate, she deactivate the barrier around the house that protected it from burglars. Once the barrier came down, she stepped into her property and quickly swept pass the front yard and into the main building.

She quickly pulled her shoes off before running down to the basement. She then placed the scrolls within the small closet and sealed it so only she could open it again.

"Okay. One down. Now the Hokage." She thought out loud before hearing the front door open.

"Kushina?" A voice called out before there was the sound of the door shutting.

Recognizing the voice as Minato's, Kushina ran to the top of the stairs and found her husband hastily leaving the kitchen. Catching sight of her, he paused a moment before the pair ran towards each other and embraced.

Kushina pulled Minato as closely as she could, the pain she had been burying away suddenly crashing down on her. This time, she didn't bother holding back and soon Minato was left in utter confusion as his wife began to sob into his shirt.

"What is it honey?" He asked once Kushina had calmed down a little. He sat her down on the couch and calmly rubbed her back. "What happened?'

Kushina stubbornly rubbed the tears away before telling Minato everything she knew about what had happened. The blonde man listened silently, pain and sorrow settling in his chest for his wife and the boy that had been saved. The two sat in silence, as neither knew what to say, until a soft knock on the door interrupted the silence.

Minato quickly got up to get the door and was a little shocked to find the Sandaime at the door.

"May I come in?" The old Hokage asked. Minato quickly allowed the man access as Kushina pulled herself together. Seeing the woman on the couch, Hiruzen bowed politely before sitting opposite of her.

"I received the message from the eastern base and sent aid. I've also sat and talked with the chunin team that dropped our friend off at the hospital." The third started as Kushina shifted under his gaze.

"Perhaps you would like to tell me your side of the story now." Hiruzen suggested as Minato brought some tea to the sitting room. Sighing heavily, Kushina braced herself to retell the story as Minato sat beside her to offer his support.

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**A/N- And that is chapter 4! Please review for me and I'll start the next chapter in a bit. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- Evening all! I present to you chapter 5! This chapter is a little longer the past chapters but the last chapter might be a little short so it should balance out. If not, I'm sure you wont really mind.**

**Anyways! Many thanks to DrunkenBunny, Vallavarayan, and KushinaHyugaUzumaki for reviewing. As you guys know, reviews are motivation for me which means faster updates for you. So please remember to review at the end of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer- As I've said, I don't own Naruto. If I did, I would be more sleep deprived then I already am.**

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Laying there in the heaviness of his mindscape, Katsuro felt the fuzzy borders of his mind slowly fall away. However, as the slight buzz began to fall away it didn't return as it usually did. This time it kept on falling away, making Katsuro more and more aware of himself.

Almost everything hurt and that pain was slowly intensifying before it plateaued. After that, it was just a matter of adjusting as he felt himself slowly being drawn away from unconsciousness. Feeling himself being pulled even faster toward the surface, Katsuro slowly closed his eyes before feeling a sting in his nose and a gentle breeze pass over his face.

Wrinkling his nose at the annoyance, Katsuro let out a slow moan as he reached up to rub his nose and alleviate the feeling. Opening his eyes, Katsuro had to blink as the light hit invaded his senses. Taking a moment to adjust again, he slowly looked around and found himself in a plain white room that looked an awful lot like a hospital room. He was laying in a hard bed and could feel the itchy fabric of bandaging covering his chest. His left arm was in a cast and his right ankle in some sort of a brace. Groaning lightly, he went to lift himself up to test his range of motion before noting a red-headed woman asleep on a small couch under the windows.

Seeing her, Katsuro wondered briefly who she is as he slowly forced himself to sit up. As he did so however, an ear piercing alarm suddenly went off making both of the red-heads jump in surprise. The two then hissed in pain as Katsuro had pulled on some stitching wrong and the woman had literally jumped out of bed and fallen on the floor. Holding his aching side, Katsuro saw the woman rush over to his bed to turn the alarm off. Once the alarm was off, the two took a few moments to nurse their aches before Katsuro addressed her.

"Who are you?" He asked softly as he tried to figure out why this woman looked so familiar. The woman looked at him in slight confusion before standing properly beside his bed.

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki." She answered truthfully.

Hearing the name, Katsuro finally recalled everything and looked around. Looking out the windows he could see a large village laid out before him and had a sinking feeling as he realized he wasn't in the forest by the beach anymore.

"Where am I?" He demanded without looking at Kushina.

Kushina swallowed as she attempted to prepare herself for what was coming. She had not been looking forward to this conversation, especially not after the Hokage told her they had received reports confirming the fall of Uzushiogakure to Kiri.

"We had to move you away from the eastern base." She answered, without really answering. It was lame, she knew, but she wasn't ready yet.

"Where am I." Katsuro demanded a little louder the second time, getting a sigh from Kushina.

"Konoha." She said softly. "We received reports to confirm that Kumo and Kiri were in the area and couldn't stay. With Uzushio's fall we had to fortify the east and..."

"What?" Katsuro said, cutting her off as he looked up at her in shock. "Uzushio fell?"

Kushina gave the boy a shocked look, wondering why he was shocked to here this. It should be old news to him.

"Y-yes. That's what the scrolls you were carrying said and they were confirmed a few days ago." Kushina explained. "The scrolls had a message from Hachi saying Uzushiogakure had fallen to Kiri and Kumo. He sent you and your team to bring me the clan's scrolls so we could protect them for future generations."

A heavy silence fell over the pair. Katsuro stared down at his lap in mind-numbing shock while Kushina stood there awkwardly, staring down at Katsuro as she waited for the news to fully sink into the boys head.

A minute passed without a single sound escaping either of them and the nurses just outside the door found the atmosphere so heavy they couldn't open the door to check on the patient. Huddling together, the nurses tried to think of ways to break the heavy atmosphere when a woman with long blonde hair in two pigtails and honey colored eyes saw them.

Annoyed that her nurses seemed to be standing around gossiping rather then working, she marched over to the two.

"What are you two doing?" The woman growled, making the nurses jump in surprise. Recognizing the woman, the nurses quickly bowed.

"Forgive us Tsunade-sama." The nurses said in unison before quickly explaining the situation behind the door.

Understanding the situation now, Tsunade gave a small sigh before dismissing the nurses. She watched them rush off to complete another duty while Tsunade stared at the door. Standing before the entrance to a very heavy atmosphere, she took a small breath to steady herself before throwing the door open and marching in. Disregarding the looks of complete shock from the two, Tsunade marched straight to Katsuro. As she came to the bed, she roughly grabbed Katsuro's chin and flashed a light into his eyes.

"W-what are you doing!" Katsuro started as he tried to pull away from the strange woman.

"Stop moving." Tsunade ordered as she 'lightly' hit Katsuro over the head, resulting in the formation of a large bump.

"What was that for?!" Katsuro demanded angrily, his shocked silence broken by mild anger and the light pounding of the decent sized lump forming on his skull.

"For moving!" The medic shouted back. Tsunade's angry response was going to be followed by another 'light' hit to the head but luckily for Katsuro, Kushina quickly grabbed her arm.

"Tsunee-chan!" Kushina cried out as she tried to stop her cousin from hurting Katsuro further. "I don't think giving the patient a concussion is good medical practice."

Tsunade blushed lightly at her cousins use of her pet name and quickly cleared her throat.

"You're right Kushina. My apologies." The medic muttered before turning to Katsuro. "I am going to examine you now to insure there is no damage to your nervous system. So stop being a pain in the ass and hold still unless I instruct you to do otherwise."

When the boy's shock faded enough to finally catch up to what was happening, Katsuro simply nodded his head slowly and did as Tsunade asked. After checking his eyes, Tsunade moved on to checking his hearing followed by his sense of smell. It was only when she started testing his sense of touch that she spoke again.

"So...What were you two so depressed about?" Tsunade asked slowly, getting different reactions from the two. Kushina began sputtering as she tried to come up with a reason while Katsuro started brooding again. After a few moments of sputtering, Katsuro answered for Kushina.

"Uzushio is gone." He whispered. Once more, a heavy atmosphere fell over the room as Tsunade realized exactly what that meant to the Uzumaki's. Finishing her inspection she sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry for your loss you two. However, that doesn't mean you have the right to sit here and mope." Tsunade scolded, making Kushina flinch as Katsuro looked up at the woman in annoyance.

"Everyday people are dying in this war, no one sees that more then me and my medics. And everyday the loved ones of the fallen get up and do their duty to this village. Right now we are at war, so we must push our grief aside for now and do our duty." Tsunade lectured before Katsuro cut her off.

"My duty is to MY village." Katsuro hissed. "And now my village is gone. Do you really expect me to just...get over it?!"

"Of course not!" Kushina shouted, loosing her temper at both Katsuro and Tsunade. It wasn't really their fault though. She was just frustrated that Katsuro, her clansmen, was suffering and she couldn't really help. That and Tsunade wasn't helping either by making Kushina feel even more useless.

"Loss of life isn't something to just get over but right now this village could use your help Katsuro. You obviously don't know, but we're in a hard place ourselves right now." Kushina started, startling Katsuro.

He was mostly shocked because of her sudden anger and partially because of the news that Konoha was having trouble in the war. Lessons at Uzushio's academy had always taught him that Konoha was the powerhouse of the elemental world. The idea that they were having problems just made the war seem much worst then he imagined.

"Right now, we need your help Katsuro." Kushina said softly, the edge of her anger gone now. "We already received reports of Kiri forces in Uzushio. It's too late to do something. Unless you have some way to obliterating Kiri, in which case please share your secret so I can protect my husband and friends!"

By the time Kushina finished her short rant, she was yelling again and silent tears were streaming down her face. Katsuro could see the fear, worry, and pain in the woman's eyes for those she loved and lowered his head.

Truthfully, he still wasn't sure what to do. His village, and everyone in it, were gone. His family and friends were most likely dead and despite the overwhelming sorrow he felt, somewhere in the deep place within him that he buried all his issues he was livid. Something in him wanted to tear the enemy apart in vengeance but he was suppressing that part of him. He was holding back the anger and hurt because it felt like he should be grieving the loss of his family rather then plotting the demise of any Kiri or Kumo-nin he would run into. And yet...yet, he couldn't keep the anger down.

"I want to be left alone." He growled softly as he laid back down and pulled the thin blankets over his shoulder. Tsunade sighed at this before quickly writing her findings on his chart and turning to Kushina.

"Come on. We're needed elsewhere." The slug woman said gently to Kushina, who merely nodded in acknowledge to the woman. Kushina gave Katsuro one last sympathetic look before turning to follow Tsunade out. They both left the room, letting Katsuro sit there alone with his thoughts.

* * *

"I take it things didn't go well." Minato commented when he saw his wife walk in the door.

Watching her remove her shoes at the doorway, Minato was grateful to have taken a short 'mental health leave' to spend some time with his wife in these emotionally trying times. Granted, he'd rather just spend time with her but he was needed right now to be a shoulder for Kushina to cry on. After all, telling the story of what had happened on her trip to the eastern base was enough to exhaust Kushina completely.

After telling the Sandaime the news of Uzushiogakure the day before, Kushina had been completely drained and yet she had insisted on going to the hospital to check on Katsuro. And it was there that she stayed until he found her later that night, asleep on the small couch. He would have brought her home, but she didn't seem to want to go so he gave in and adjusted her so she was curled onto his chest. They remained that way all throughout the night and it definitely wasn't the best night of sleep Minato had gotten but it was time spent with Kushina.

At least until the Hokage summoned him in the early morning. Then he had to leave the hospital to finalize his short break with Hiruzen and returned home to the problem of the scrolls. And once he started on a problem, he got sucked in. Which is why he hadn't gone back to the hospital, he had forgotten his wife was there was he mulled the issue over until he heard the door open in the mid-morning.

Seeing her now however, the problem had flown out of his mind as her mere presence demanded his full attention.

"It could have gone better. Katsuro didn't even know Uzushio fell." Kushina admitted as she neatly set her shoes aside. She remained sitting there for a few moments before Minato came over to her.

"Kushina?" He called softly, seeing a heart-broken look on her face.

"I'm sorry Minato. I just...I feel so powerless." She quickly supplied before Minato sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her.

"It will be okay. It may take some time, but everything will work out in the end." Minato said softly as he comforted his wife. They sat there for a few minutes in complete silence, just enjoying the warmth of the others body before Minato was reminded of his puzzle.

"Kushina." He said softly, getting the woman's attention.

"On the topic of Katsuro, we can't just keep those scrolls he carried locked up in the basement." Minato started. "Now, I'm not saying we go around sharing the information but we should find a nicer place for them for the future. I was thinking of converting the basement into a library of sorts."

Getting up, Minato returned to the same seat he had been perched in since the morning with his wife following closely behind in curiosity. On the table before them was the schematic for the basement currently with papers littered around it that all bore Minato's neat hand writing.

"We can fortify it with a stronger foundation and seals. Close off all the openings except for the basement door and make it so only specific people can open it." Minato explained as he showed her his plans. "Those scrolls Katsuro brought could only be opened by you right? If we use something similar then they wont be accessible by anyone."

Kushina nodded at the plans as she slowly took in the details. It was a great idea honestly. This way they could keep the information safe but still accessible to those she thought worthy. And maybe if they beefed up the security around the house, the scrolls could be further protected.

Still, there was a slight problem. Even if they sealed the scrolls within the house, most of them couldn't be practiced in the house. At least not with how the house was at that moment.

"But there is information on types of seals within the scrolls. Seals that will have to be practiced and can be dangerous if not written correctly." She pointed out to her husband. "If I can, I don't want the scrolls leaving that room let alone the house so we'd have to include some sort of practice area and fortify it."

Minato nodded at this and quickly wrote down her suggestion. The two then worked on there plans for a short while before a knock interrupted their planning.

"I wonder who that is?" Kushina thought aloud as Minato quickly folded up their plans and hide them in his pocket.

Once Kushina knew the plans were safe, she opened the door to find Hiruzen standing just outside the door.

"Good evening Kushina." The old man said with a tired grin.

"Hokage-sama." Kushina exclaimed in shock.

"May I come in?" The Hokage asked before Kushina quickly ushered him insider and rushed the kitchen to prepare tea. Laughing inwardly at her boundless energy, Hiruzen sat with Minato in the sitting room.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." The elderly man commented before Minato quickly waved the comment off.

"Of course not Hokage-sama. What can we do for you today?" Minato asked as Kushina appeared out of the kitchen with three cups of green tea. She quickly passed the cups to Minato and Hiruzen as she joined them.

"Thank you." Hiruzen said as he took a slow sip of the tea. They sat in silence for a few moment before the Hokage got serious.

"I have a question to ask you two." The Hokage began, getting a nod from the pair.

"Truth be told, I would like to bring Katsuro into Konoha's ranks but his injuries won't allow him to be on full active duty for a while. So, if he agrees to join our forces he would have to be on light duty until fully healed." Hiruzen explained, getting nods from Minato and Kushina.

"In that time, he will be staying here in Konoha and will need a place to sleep." The man said slowly, seeing Kushina and Minato catching on.

"He will stay here of course." Minato stated as if it was the most obvious thing. Kushina smiled lovingly at her husband before giving the Hokage a serious look.

"Katsuro is my cousin and always welcome here. We will cover everything for him until he gets up onto his feet." Kushina said seriously, getting a happy smile from the Hokage.

"I'm glad I can rely on you for this then." The Hokage said before standing, making Kushina and Minato rise as well.

"Well, I must leave now. I will inform Katsuro of your choice when Tsunade thinks he will be most susceptible to it but for now just enjoy your time off. I'll be sending you two back to the front soon." The Hokage ordered, getting a serious acknowledgment from the two.

Watching the old man go, Kushina sighed softly before pulling the plans out of Minato's pocket and returning to her bigger problem.

* * *

Katsuro sat motionlessly in his bed at the hospital for two days. Most the time he was completely alone with only the occasional nurse coming in every now and then to check on him. Oh, and Kushina dropping in occasionally to check on him. They wouldn't actually talk, but she would just sit there for a few hours before getting up and telling him she'd be back later.

The entire time, he was battling with his emotions. The more he sat there, the more the reality of the situation came crashing down on him and the more the burning rage in his chest would build. It was only at the start of the third day that the long days were broken by a visit from the Sandaime.

Katsuro had just woken and was staring out the window when he heard the door open. Expecting it to be another nurse, Katsuro ignored whoever had entered until the white robes of the Hokage entered his line of sight. Shocked, Katsuro looked straight at the man as Hiruzen studied him carefully.

"Hello Katsuro." The Hokage said slowly, getting a short nod from Katsuro.

"Lord Hokage."

"The nurses tell me that you are healed enough that you can return to light duty." Hiruzen started.

"Is that so?" Katsuro asked with a slight edge to his voice.

"Of course, I would not ask you to fight if you do not wish." The old man quickly added, not wanting Katsuro to think he was going to make the Uzumaki work for Konoha. "But we could really use your help."

"If you agree, I would like to integrate you into Konoha's ranks as a chunin. As you will be on light duty until your chest fully heals, you will stay in Konoha but once you're given the okay for full active duty you'll be right back out there on the fronts. Kushina and Minato have agreed to house you during your stay here in Konoha and you will be treated as a Konoha-nin." Hiruzen offered, hoping the boy would agree to join their ranks

Katsuro said nothing in reply and returned his gaze to the village as he thought about it. True, his home and family were gone but as Tsunade had said that didn't give him the right to mope. Plenty of people were dying and their families were still fighting on. Plus, his father would be disappointed if he saw Katsuro hesitating to help.

Taking a moment to consider how his other loved ones might consider his refusal, Katsuro could only sigh.

"I accept you offer Lord Hokage." Katsuro said softly, shocking the elder man slightly.

"You will?" Hiruzen asked before Katsuro nodded slowly.

"Thinking about it now, my uncle gave us hints that this would happen. He told us to assist Konoha in anyway before returning home at the end of the war." Katsuro commented before chuckling lightly. "Bastard should have just told me though."

Hiruzen sighed softly in gratitude before pulling a Konoha Hitai-ate from his robe and setting it on the bed side table.

"I am grateful for your help Katsuro." The Sandaime said truthfully as Katsuro picked up the Hitai-ate and tied it around his forehead.

"I am glad I can help." Katsuro said with a forced smile as his room door opened again. Looking over at the door, he was a little shocked to see a girl around his age leaning against the wall by the door.

Taking in her appearance, Katsuro noted that the woman had light brown pupil-less eyes and black hair which had a blue tint to it; which is styled in a short, spiky, fanned-ponytail. She wore a sleeveless fishnet mesh shirt, dark shorts, fishnet armbands that reach to her elbows, and knee-length boots with her Hitai-ate tied around her forehead.

"Ah, Anko. You're here." The Hokage said happily as he walked over to the girl. Hearing the name, Katsuro recalled someone saying her owed this woman his life and made a note to thank her.

"Lord Hokage." Anko said with a short bow. She was a little annoyed with the Hokage for giving her this latest mission but it wasn't like she could verbalize her annoyance.

The old man then turned to Katsuro.

"This is Anko Mitarashi, and she found you just before you collapsed. Kushina and Minato are a little busy right now but will be back by nightfall, so in the meantime Anko will be showing you around." The elder man commented happily as Anko huffed.

Seeing her reaction to this, Katsuro sighed mentally as he gave the Hokage a small bow of the head. The Hokage nodded to the two of them before leaving to continue his duties. As he did so however, a silence fell between Katsuro and Anko that was only broken when Katsuro cleared his throat.

"I should thank you for find me and deciding to get me medical attention rather then letting me die." He began, noting a smirk growing on Anko's face.

"It might be a good idea." She replied sarcastically before another silence fell.

Sitting there, the two found each other's presence slightly unnerving and were almost grateful when a nurse came rushing in a few minutes later. She passed Katsuro a clipboard and had him sign on several lines before passing him a pair of grey shorts and a plain white t-shirt to change into.

"These aren't necessary." Katsuro said, handing the clothes back to the nurse. Both women gave him an odd look, getting a small smile from the red-head.

"I have clothes." He explained, getting an even more confused look from the two.

"Uh...no you don't." Anko quickly answered. "Your clothes were destroyed when we found you and you weren't carrying a pack."

Katsuro couldn't help but give her one of his trademark grins, the type of grin that just screamed 'Oh really?'

Lifting his right forearm, Katsuro pulled the bandaging off and showed the women the tattooed seal on the underside of his forearm.

"Luckily I carry extra." He teased before making the tiger seal, gathering chakra in the seal and swiping his left hand over the seal. This released the seal and a small bag popped into existence in his lap, from which Katsuro was pulling out a new pair of clothes. Anko and the nurse just stood there gawking at him before the nurse laughed nervously and left.

"How did you do that?" Anko asked, watching as Katsuro sealed the bag back into his arm.

"Lots of practice." Katsuro admitted as he slowly got up and limped to the bathroom do to his bad leg. "I'm going to change now."

With that Katsuro slipped into the room's bathroom and closed the door behind him to change. A few minutes later Katsuro exited the bathroom in a sleeveless white muscle shirt with the Uzumaki seal between his shoulder blades, dark blue long pants, and a pair of standard black shinobi shoes. Giving him a quick look over, Anko noted that he was actually very muscular for such a scrawny looking guy and pushed herself off the wall.

"Lets go already. I have to show you the village and entertain you until night fall." Anko huffed as she opened the door to leave.

"Alright, alright. Just remember to walk slowly, its a pain just walking." Katsuro grumbled as he followed her.

For the remainder of the day, Anko showed Katsuro around Konoha and couldn't find any evidence of the temperamental and brooding male the nurses had warned her about. For the most part he was quiet and listened to her talk but occasionally he would get that mischievous glint in his eye. That sparkle was usually soon accompanied by a smart remark.

Truth be told, Anko greatly enjoyed her time with Katsuro but she wouldn't tell him or anyone else for that matter. As the sun began to set, she dropped Katsuro off at the Namikaze/Uzumaki residence.

Walking up to the gate, Katsuro could feel more then see the seals around the house. Placing his hand on the gate, the seals jumped to life telling him there purpose. Recognizing them as a security system, Katsuro wasn't shocked to see Kushina rush through the door. She caught sight of him and smiled brilliantly before rushing over to deactivate the seals so Katsuro could enter.

"Sorry about that. We'll have to adjust that later so you can enter without any issues." Kushina noted as Katsuro nodded.

"Thank you for agreeing to house me." Katsuro said to the woman as she opened the door to the house. Kushina smiled sadly at him and simply nodded as they both entered the house.

Coming in through the front door, Katsuro found himself walking into a hallway. Immediately to his right was a family room with only a few chairs set out and what looked like a set of stairs that went down beneath the house. And across from this room he could see a dining room and from this room came wonderful smells of cooking food, making Katsuro believe the kitchen was attached. A little further down the hall he could see four other door, two on each side of the hall, which he assumed were bathrooms and bedrooms.

He was quickly directed to the second door on the right side of the hall and told that the room would be his. Stepping inside, he found the room to be of decent size with a plain bed in the middle. Kushina then told him that the bathroom was the door directly across from his and the two joined Minato in the dinning room for dinner.

Enjoying a meal of steamed rice, stir fried vegetables, and fish Katsuro almost felt like he was back at home. Once they finished up, Katsuro started to clear the table as Minato brought out the plans he and Kushina had been making.

"Katsuro." Kushina called, getting the boy's attention as he put the dishes in the kitchen.

"Do you have any idea what was in those scrolls you were carrying?" Kushina asked, getting a shake of the head in response. Sighing softly, Kushina couldn't really be shocked.

"Within the scrolls your team was carrying there were thousands of scrolls from Uzushio. Everything from clan history to techniques." Kushina explained, noting the curious look that light up Katsuro's eyes.

"Why?" He asked simply as he sat at the table. Kushina shrugged at his question.

"The note Hachi left simply stated that he couldn't let the information fall into enemy hands or destroy it, so he put together a team to carry the scrolls here to me." Kushina explained.

Katsuro took a deep breath as he took that information in. So he had carried all his clan's secretes to Konoha while his home fell to Kiri and Kumo. Yeah, that made things a little more irritating.

"At least everything is safe then." Katsuro forced himself to say slowly before noting Kushina and Minato's looks.

"Not exactly." The blonde-haired man said as Kushina nodded.

"There are people here who would use the knowledge in those scrolls incorrectly." Kushina started as she pictured a few in her head, the fist ones however being the Hokage's personal council.

Hearing this Katsuro tensed up, knowing that some of the information in those scrolls was not to be taught outside of the clan.

"Thus, we need to create a safe place place for them. This is what my husband and I have come up with." Kushina explained before showing Katsuro the plans.

Looking them over, Katsuro was impressed by their plans and included a few seals he knew after quickly explaining them. Kushina and Minato took his suggestions seriously, discussing their ideas until late in the night.

When they were too tired to continue, they all turned in for the night. Slowly lowering himself into his new bed, Katsuro sighed softly. Kushina and Minato both had told him they would have to return to the front soon but they were leaving him money for personal things and were relying on him to build the library. Just the thought was exhausting.

None-the-less, if it protected the clan's scrolls he would just deal with it.

Closing his eyes, Katsuro let sleep take him.

* * *

**A/N- "Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-... That's all, folks!" **

**Review for me pretty please and I'll start the last chapter tomorrow. Goodnight everyone!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- Oh man! Sorry for the long period of time between now and the last update. For whatever reason I had a hard time writing this chapter despite it being shorter then the others and more an overview then anything. In the end I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter but I doubt I could do much more at this point. So here you are everyone! I hope you enjoy this, the final chapter of Fall of the Uzumaki Clan.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto just those characters that are obviously mine.**

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Katsuro became fully integrated into the way of life around Konoha. A few days after being discharged from the hospital Katsuro had reported to the Hokage and began working as a shinobi of Konoha just as Minato and Kushina were sent back to the fronts. Being on light duty though, Katsuro spent most of the day yawning at a desk as papers threatened to collapse on him from any direction. Or that was what his clone was doing.

The real Katsuro, along with five or six other clones, gave their complete attention to building the Uzumaki Library rather then doing the Hokage's chore-like missions. And his plan seemed to work, as there were only a few times when the clone dispelled before it was supposed to and no one called him on the sudden disappearances.

His true self meanwhile, worked awkwardly around the two casts to fortify the room with new walls, floors, and ceiling before writing in additional seals that he and Kushina had agreed upon. Normally, he wouldn't bother trying with one arm and leg casted but he knew that as soon as the casts came off he would return to full active duty. Meaning that the scrolls would be left completely unguarded if he didn't build a safe place then and there.

And that was not an option after the barrier around the Uzumaki home had gone off a few times in the middle of the night. Knowing the barrier was designed to keep others out and alert the occupants of the house of a possible invasion, Katsuro had been convinced that someone had learned of the scrolls and were after them. Meaning, once he was reassigned outside of Konoha the scrolls would be targeted and that worried him a lot. Hachi wanted the scrolls to pass to Kushina for a reason and Katsuro would be damned if he let the sacrifice of his clan, family, and team turn to nothing by letting the scrolls fall outside of the family.

So he soldiered on to finish the room as quickly as possible without completely exhausting himself. By the time six weeks had past, it was time for his casts to come off and Katsuro had to leave the house to have them removed. He however, did leave a few clones to keep writing the seals as his limbs were released from the plaster.

Once freed, his strength was tested to see how much the limbs had deteriorated and it was determined that he could return to full active duty now. Expecting to be back in the war within twenty-four hours, Katsuro's clones pushed to finish the seals as the real Katsuro showered and prepared a travel pack. And as he predicted, it was just as the sun began to fall that Katsuro was called into the Hokage's office.

Told that he would be returning to the east, Katsuro felt the dark rage he had been rejecting suddenly flare up. Over the past few weeks a seed of hate had been growing in his chest towards Kiri and Kumo, a seed he had hoped he'd starved and killed. Only now did he realize how wrong he was.

Taking his orders, Katsuro gave the Hokage a small bow before returning to the Uzumaki home. He ran over a mental check list of security measures for the scrolls and sealed them inside the now completely fortified basement. He then grabbed his travel pack and was leaving when he set the seals around the house and watched the barrier come into existence. Once everything was set, he gave the house one last worried look before heading the Konoha's gates.

* * *

Shortly after Katsuro rejoined the war, word was spreading around Konoha of a second Red Hot Habanero earning him a large amount of fear and respect from those who heard of him in the village hidden among the leaves.

On the eastern front stories were passed around of Katsuro's seething temper and unusual fighting style, most interestingly were the stories of his abilities to seemingly blow someone up with a single touch or reduce an enemy to ashes from within their own clothes. To his squad though, Katsuro was thought to be Kushina's wrath personified and were equally afraid of him as her. However, once he was given the field promotion of Jounin his comrades were happy to note that despite his age and everything they had previously seen in him, he could be a very calm and meticulous leader.

To his enemies however, Katsuro became the same to Kumo and Kiri as Minato was to Iwa. They too had heard the stories of Katsuro's abilities and after a few battles, a few enemy nin survived long enough to return to their comrades and validate the stories before dying. This over time, lead to Katsuro's mere presence being enough to bring hesitation to the enemy's fighting squads.

An observation many other Konoha leaders noted with interest. Using Katsuro's appearance and growing reputation, many other squad's on the eastern front found themselves able to stall a battle by simply transforming into Katsuro. Or in one Shikaku Nara's case, completely avoid a battle altogether by transforming into Katsuro and having another person of his team transform into Kushina. This tactic only worked for a short while however, as it was impossible for Katsuro to be in many places at one, but it bought several squads enough time to reorganize when needed.

Outside of that, things went as well as they could for a teen at war. He fought, napped, and ate rations before getting up to do the same the next day. This routine continued for a little over half a year when Katsuro found himself in the company of Minato and a silver haired boy around his age. Minato quickly explained that the boy was part of his genin team and that their teammate Rin had been kidnapped by Kiri. Offering his help, Katsuro left his squad with instructions to rest at the eastern base as he helped his cousin-in-law and his fellow Jounin track down their missing comrade.

Heading for the enemy base located on the beach, the three were surprised when they found a group of ninja just outside the base guarding Rin. Quickly defeating the group, they ran to bring her back into friendly territory but were ambushed by a dozen Kiri-Anbu. Minato ordered the three to run as he held them off but Katsuro stayed behind to help the blonde as Kakashi and Rin ran for safety.

The battle with Katsuro and Minato was an incredible fierce one, and both men could only marvel at the strength the other possessed as they fought off the enemy. Katsuro was awed by Minato's mastery of space and time seals and silently wished he could one day master the Hiraishin while Minato was dumbstruck by Katsuro's mastery of elemental seals.

The Namikaze quickly learned that Katsuro's ability to blow someone up with a touch was just a seal on his hands that held compressed wind chakra, which would explode outwardly when released. Blowing the enemy up and cutting them to pieces at the same time.

And incinerating an opponent from within was a seal that was transferred from his Dao blades to the enemy when they were stabbed or cut. This seal would then release a large amount of first jutsu in stages, the first to boil out the water in the internal organs and the second to burn the thoroughly dried organs.

Combined, Katsuro was certainly a sight to see in battle but their opponents weren't push overs either. Katsuro wasn't fast enough to properly hit one and Minato's attacks didn't have the necessary power behind them to blow the enemy away.

So, after sharing a brief glance the two came together for a combined attack. Handing Minato his Dao blades, Katsuro quickly explained how to release the fire seals as Minato tagged him with a few Hiraishin seals. Once ready the two were back into the fray and Minato was able to easily cut down his opponents with the fire seals while Katsuro fended his off long enough for the blonde to come to his aid.

Thirty minutes after being ambushed, the two were tiredly enjoying a victory before sensing a large and dark chakra coming from the direction Kakashi and Rin had gone. Not even hesitating, Minato rushed to the source with Katsuro hot on his heals. By the time they found Kakashi and Rin however, it was too late.

Kakashi lay unconscious in the mud and Rin lay dead with six or so dead Kiri-nin. Giving Minato a moment to mourn the loss of his student, Katsuro quickly looked over Kakashi and found no serious injuries that needed medical attention. So he instead lifted the teen onto his back before calling to the blonde that they should get back to the base.

Minato briefly acknowledged Katsuro and lifted Rin's body before heading back to the base with Katsuro close behind. Upon returning to the base, Katsuro handed Kakashi over to some medical shinobi before helping Minato burn Rin's body.

The following day, Minato and a very gloomy Kakashi bid goodbye as they were ordered to return to Konoha by the Hokage. Katsuro watched them go sadly before returning to his squad and preparing for another scouting mission.

* * *

It was almost a month later that Katsuro and his team were ordered to return to Konoha. Following the order curiously, the four made their way back to Konoha and arrived a few days after leaving.

Walking towards the Hokage's office at a leisurely pace, Katsuro couldn't help but feel as if it had been years since he last walked the streets and had to remind himself it had only been about eight months. He also noted that there was a completely different atmosphere in the city now. Before things were happy on the surface but a heavy tension hung on everyone's shoulders. Now, the happiness seemed genuine and the tension seemed to only exist on the newly arriving shinobi.

Slightly unnerved by the change, the team rushed to the Hokage's office to find out what was going on. They were shocked to find themselves among many teams with Minato sitting where Sarutobi had once been. The blonde smiled brightly when he saw Katsuro's shocked look before going on to explain that the war was over now and that they had been brought home. His fellow Shinobi cheered in joy at the news as Katsuro stood silently as he thought about what that meant. Noting Katsuro's lack of response to the news, Minato was a little worried for the red-head.

Dismissing the group of battle worn shinobi and informing them that they had a week break before they would be needed to return to their duties, Minato grinned at the happy affirmative the group gave just before leaving. Katsuro meanwhile, stayed behind until everyone left and approached Minato.

"Hello Minato. I see you got a promotion." Katsuro noted with a small smile. The Yandaime smiled brightly at that and nodded happily.

"Indeed. I just wish it didn't come with so much paperwork." The blonde joked as he motioned to the stacks of papers beside him, earning a brief smirk from Katsuro.

"A few shadow clones could help with that though." Katsuro commented before stopping as Minato gave him the most dumbfounded look had seen yet.

"W-What?" Katsuro asked nervously as his cousin suddenly started getting sparkles in his eyes.

"You're a genius!" Minato shouted before appearing beside the red-head and giving his a crushing hug. Struggling a little, Katsuro finally managed to break himself loose and scowled as Minato calmly sat back down.

"Anyways." Katsuro started as rubbed his bruising ribs. "Is Kushina here as well?'

"Of course!" Minato replied as if Katsuro had asked him the stupidest question ever. "She was one of the first I ordered home."

Katsuro felt a small beed of sweet slowly fall down his face at that as his mind instantly changed his preception of Minato from an god-like master of space and time fuinjustu to a doting husband.

"If that is so, then I'll head over to your place and see her." He admitted before turning to leave. Minato watched the boy closely as he left and briefly wondered why his eyes had been filled with pain when he heard the news of the war. That question was pushed aside however as his assistant arrived with more paperwork.

Grinning at the man who had previously been his mortal enemy, Minato created as many shadow clones as he could and got them to working while silently thanking the gods for sending him Kushina's cousin.

Katsuro meanwhile was racing over the houses and noticed now how every citizen was welcoming the shinobi home and how laugher and joy filled the air around them. Smiling softly, Katsuro let the infectious atmosphere drive away the haunting dread he had been feeling since Minato told them the war was over.

Since hearing the news, Katsuro's mind had been plagued with worry and apprehension for his own family and friends in Uzushio. Some part of him refused to believe they were all dead and held onto the fantasy that they were alive but captured. Now however, he finally could go home and validate that fantasy or be woken from it. But first he wanted to check with Kushina and the scrolls.

Arriving at the house, Katsuro quickly released the barrier around the house so he could enter. Once inside, he was bombarded by the smell of cooking ramen and slowly moved inside, knowing his cousin had to be here somewhere.

"Hello?" He called as he removed his shoes. Hearing some movement from the kitchen, he saw his cousin enter the main hall way and smile at him once she recognized him.

"Katsuro! You're home!" She said happily before going over to hug the teen. Standing there awkwardly, Katsuro wasn't sure if he should hug back until after Kushina released him.

"You hungry. Come have some ramen." She ordered as she dragged him to the table and sat him down. Following her orders, Katsuro sat and gratefully ate the hot ramen once it was ready. As he ate however, he watched in amazement as Kushina put down five bowls in the time it took him to finish one. He would have asked her where she put all the food but decided against it in the end.

"Is everything still in place down bellow?" He asked, a little worry coming through his voice.

"Everything is great. The work you did down there is amazing." Kushina answered nonchalantly as she continued to eat.

"Once me and Minato got back, we noted that someone has been tried to get past the barrier around the house but luckily it held. And once we went to check on the scrolls, I had to stop Minato at the basement door or your seal would have killed him." She said before giving Katsuro a dark look.

"I'm sorry for that. But I couldn't write the seal to allow Minato to enter without some of his chakra and blood. You I could do because of our family relations." Katsuro explained as Kushina nodded.

"I know. And we've already adjusted the seal to include him now." She commented before giving her cousin a smirk. "We also started putting up shelves for the scrolls. I think it'll look fantastic when it's all done."

Katsuro smiled at that before the smile fell. Something Kushina quickly picked up on.

"What's wrong?" She asked, startling Katsuro slightly. Knowing she wouldn't let him go without telling her, he sighed softly.

"The war is over now. My original mission states that it is time for me to return to Uzushiogakure." Katsuro began, noting Kushina's frown.

"Katsuro...You know there is nothing left there." She started.

"You don't know that." Katsuro quickly countered before running his hands through his hair. "Whether there is something there or not I have to go. I have to see for myself if it's gone or not."

Listening to her cousin, Kushina's eyes glazed over briefly as she recalls her place of birth. She had a good idea what had become of the place and could guess what Katsuro's response would be.

"If you have to go, then go. Just remember that getting revenge will not make the loss of your family any easier. Truth is, it makes it worst." She said softly as she gave Katsuro a soul searching look.

Weighing her words, Katsuro nods slowly before standing up.

"Thank you." He said before walking to the doorway and putting his shoes back on. Now he could return with peace of mind that everything was safe here and the future assured in Kushina. As he stood to open the door Kushina walked up behind him.

"Also Katsuro." She said, getting the boy's attention. "You are always welcome here. We are family."

Katsuro nodded at that and thanked her before turning and leaving again.

Later that night, Minato came home the happiest he had been in a while to find a very depressed wife at the table and some ramen still in a pot from the afternoon.

"Kushina? What's wrong?" Minato asked as he sat besides her. Kushina looked up at her husband before sighing and leaning onto his shoulder.

"He went back." She said simply, knowing that Minato would understand. Hearing such, Minato's mood came crashing down and he held his wife. He didn't really have anything he could say to his wife so he just held her in silence as they both prayed the Katsuro.

* * *

Katsuro bobbed on the ocean's current in the small ship he had set sail on the day before. The sun was making its decent in the evening sky, darkening the world around him and yet he still looked on. About a mile away was Uzushiogakure and Katsuro could easily see it from his small boat. Looking over the island that was his home, he felt his heart sink into his stomach as the sight of burnt trees littered across the shore.

After almost a year, he was finally returning home and some part of him was screaming at him to turn around and go back to Konoha. But that part of him was silenced by the need to know what had happened to his clan.

Sitting back down into the boat, he slowly rowed closer to his destination. But the closer he got, the worst the weight in his stomach got.

Once close enough, Katsuro created some clones to scout the island as the real Katsuro rowed the boat back to the docks. After landing on the Uzushiogakure docks, the stench of smoke overcame him like a tidal wave hitting a small boat. Gagging at the smell, Katsuro tried to force himself to adjust before he felt his shadow clones dispel and was bombarded by their memories.

From what they had seen, the island was torn from battle and raids and nothing was untouched by the chaos that had fallen on his home. In the village every building and monument had been torn down to its foundation. Where Uzushio flags once flew were Kiri flags and everywhere there was the blackened stains of old blood. But despite the blood stains none of his clones could find any bodies.

Trusting his clones search pattern, he began searching the island for any sign of his family. Unfortunately, the first sign he got was the undeniable metallic smell of blood. Blindly rushing to the source, he found him on the eastern most beach and felt the world stop as his eyes fell onto the sandy shore.

His entire clan was piled up on the bloody beach, decaying in the sun. Their clothes had been taken, leaving them completely exposed to the ravaging animals and elements. The sight and smell had made him dry heave horribly and by the time he had enough control of himself, he caught sign of the mantle piece for the whole sight.

Hanging from a tree slightly off to the side was a skeleton with a board overhead. The board read: "Here hangs the last leader of the scourge Uzumaki clan. May he hang here in shame for all to see and know his last cowardly act of suicide."

Seeing his uncle hanging there, nothing more then a bare skeleton, Katsuro felt the seed within him explode as an undeniable rage consumed him. Overcome by the uncontrollable emotion, he released all his chakra at once and let it explode off of him with an anguished cry. Animals all over the island fled as the murderous intent flying off of Katsuro hung over the island.

After a few moments though, his chakra ran out and Katsuro fell to his knees and sobbed as everything he had been holding back since Kushina's news came crashing down on him. Letting the pain of loosing his family wash over him and flow out of his eyes as tears, he remained there until well into the night.

The following morning, he woke from his dreamless sleep and created some clones to start burying his clan. As some clones got to work digging, the real Katsuro cut his uncle down and destroyed the plaque before making a grave marker. On the new plaque he carved the words: "Here lie the Uzumaki Clan. May they live on in those who carry their legacy."

Once done burying everyone, Katsuro packed up again and got in his boat. But he wasn't going back to Konohagakure, the rage that had been building in him as he laid his clan members to rest was ready to burst out again. He could not just go back and forget, so he pointed his ship towards Kirigakure where he would get his vengeance if he died trying.

* * *

**A/N- Well, that is it. I apologize for the poor quality of this chapter but I'm too excited to start writing Rise of the Uzumaki Clan to keep working on this.**

** Keep an eye out for the next story and review for me what you thought on the whole for this story. I'm always open to constructive criticism so if there is something you think I should improve, please feel free to tell me. Until next time though, good night all and don't forget to review!**


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